


Wheel of Fortune

by rocks_ana



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: AU- Game of Thrones/Medieval AU, Arranged marriage but it’s not horrible, Doesn’t really follow the plot of GoT though, ESPECIALLY if you’re not familiar with GoT, Explicit Language, IM BREAKING THE ED DOESNT KILL RULE, More tags will be added as I go along, Multi, SORRY YALL, Smut? maybe?, might add more characters if they show up or if they’re mentioned, p l e a s e read the synopsis this is a doozy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24362392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocks_ana/pseuds/rocks_ana
Summary: The trials and tribulations of House Elric and House Blackmyre through the years.
Relationships: Edward Elric/Envy, Father & Van Hohenheim, Paninya/Winry Rockbell, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang, Trisha Elric/Van Hohenheim
Comments: 18
Kudos: 21





	1. Synopsis

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

A synopsis because this au is wild.

The characters have been changed somewhat and their houses are inspired by houses from Game of Thrones. 

The Homunculi- I’ve changed their names and gave them a last name for their house. They’re house Blackmyre. Father is actually a cool dude here! we stan Ferrer.

Father- Ferrer Blackmyre, I didn’t want him to look exactly like Hohenheim so that he looks like his frickin kids, so he has purple eyes and black hair.  
Pride- Petyr Blackmyre, 23 years old and the eldest son  
Greed and Lust- Gregory and Lorah Blackmyre, twins and 19 years old  
Envy- Evelyn Blackmyre, 16 and 2nd eldest daughter  
Sloth- Salo Blackmyre, 14  
Gluttony- Giso Blackmyre, 10  
And finally, Wrath- Wren Blackmyre, 8! He smol

House Blackmyre’s keep is situated in up north in the mountainous area called Stonevale. Bastards born in this area are given the last name Stone. Lorah is friends with one of them, Asa Stone. Their sigil is the Orouboros tattoo and their colors are red and black. Their house is inspired by House Targaryen from, but they won’t have similar storylines at all. 

House Elric is situated in the South where Xerxes is! Their sigil is the sun with a white alchemical circle on it. Their house colors are white and gold. Edward is 17 and Alphonse is 16. House Elric is inspired by House Martell, so they’ll adopt similar fashion. Also, because Hohenheim is literally from the desert, he’s brown, along with his children. I’m also gonna make Trisha Xerxian but her hair and eyes are a darker gold color like Alphonse’s. They have 2 Knights, Ser Maria Ross and Ser Denny Brosh. Since we don’t know what Xerxian sounds/looks like, it will be Valyrian (a language from GoT). Hohenhiem and Ferrer are old war buddies! Think of Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon. 

House Rockbell, or what remains of it, is situated with House Elric in Xerxies. They were family friends and when Winry’s parents died, the Elrics adopted them. House Rockbell is inspired by House Baratheon, simply because of the characters is a Blacksmith so it goes with Winry. 

House Mustang and Hawkeye are situated in the capital city Central and are bonded through marriage. Roy is king and Riza is queen. I’m not sure if they’ll be mentioned much in the story though. House Mustang is inspired by House Blackfyre from GoT, another house based on fire. House Hawkeye is inspired by House Arryn, their sigil is a falcon! Armstrong, Hughes, Falman, Furey, Havoc And Breda are Knights of the Kings guard. 

House Armstrong is situated far up north in Briggs, and their house is inspired by House Mormont. Olivier is the Lady of Briggs. Miles and Buccaneer are Knights. 

Solf J. Kimblee is a bastard from House Brandr (old Norse for Sword or Fire). Their house is inspired by House Bolton...bitches. Their house is also situated in the North. 

That’s all for now!

Edit: forgot a VERY important detail, but if sexual content does occur, this will happen years later. Most of this fic will be the main two characters getting to know each other better.

Edit 2: I changed the name of the place where the Blackmyres live because I couldn’t stop thinking about that picture of Dwayne Johnson in the 90s


	2. The North welcomes the South

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

Lorah huffed in annoyance as she caught her little sister picking at her fingertips, a tick she got when she was anxious. “Stop that,” she said, pulling her hands apart and setting them on the arms of the chair, “you’ll ruin them.” Evelyn sighed, her sister was right, but she couldn’t help herself. “I know, I know! I’m just nervous.” She whined. Lorah giggled softly at her sister and continued combing her long black locks. 

It was a glorious day for House Blackmyre, as it was the start of a strong and hopefully long alliance between them and House Elric. Although the marriage wouldn’t happen for another couple years, the prospect of seeing the young lord after so many years had Evelyn’s skin prickle with anxiety. She didn’t object to the marriage though. She’s known Edward for years now and all she wanted was to ensure her family’s saftey and prosperity. For a young lady, marriage was the best option. She hasn’t seen Edward in 5 years however, and she worried about how he’d react to seeing her now. 

Her plethora of thoughts were interrupted by her sister. “I don’t know why you’re so nervous, you’ve known him for years and you two get along just fine. The Elrics have been our friends for years and have been nothing but loving to us. What has you so shaken?” Lorah asks, twisting Evelyn’s hair in to braids and pinning them on the back of her head. “I think I have all the right to be nervous, I haven’t seen him in years! What will he think of me?” 

Lorah thought for a moment before responding. “Like I said, you two hav-“ “that’s not what I meant...” Evelyn murmured. “I mean...look at you! I look like a twig compared to you, remember when those two stable boys called me a palm tree?” Evelyn exclaimed, turning towards her sister and gesturing her voluptuous body. Lorah looked at her with a straight face and rolled her eyes. “You were 13 and you had a bad hair day, you had the body of a child.” Evelyn quickly beat her to it. “Oh please, you were already growing out at that age. What if Edward doesn’t like me? What if I still look the same after 5 years? Do I?” She rambled. Lorah huffed and set the hair brush down on the vanity. “Evelyn, you’re not ugly. You never have been and you never will be so stop worrying about it. Edward is a nice young man and I’m sure he’ll like you. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be getting married soon, father is giving you years until your ready. He wouldn’t force you into a marriage at such a young age like other girls are.” Lorah shifted her eyes from Evelyn to the wall, a playful smirk dawned her lips. “Besides, being small isn’t so bad. You’re easier to hold on to.” She said suggestively, waggling her eyebrows.

Evelyn groaned in disgust and rolled her eyes. “Well how would you know? You haven’t done anything!” Which was true. Lorah was the eldest daughter after all, her not being married by now was unusual. But after meeting her intended years ago, she refused to be bonded to him. Ferrer was more than happy to accept her offer after witnessing her intended’s foul behavior. The happiness of his children always came first. This was all the more convenient for Lorah anyway, as she didn’t possess any sort of sexual nor romantic desires for anyone. Teasing her sister was always a treat though. “That’s true, but I’ve heard enough stories from women to know the basics. Speaking of which, my friend Asa is coming over tonight to sleepover. You should come! She could teach you what you need to know and it will be fun.” 

Before Evelyn could comment, there was a knock at the door. “Come in!” Lorah exclaimed. One of the servant girls of the keep entered with a rush, panting as if she’d been running. “Apologies for the late notice my ladies, but the Elric bannermen have entered the gates.” Evelyn gasped and turned towards her sister with wide, panicked eyes. “Already?! But we’re not ready!” Lorah exclaimed, scrambling around the room for the finishing touches to Evelyn’s attire. “Thank you for letting me know, we’ll only be a moment.” The servant girl grimaced slightly with guilt at having cause such a panic, but bowed and left the room without any further comments. Evelyn stood up from her chair, ruffling her dress and freeing it from non-existent wrinkles. Her dress was a mid-toned purple color, with long wide sleeves embroidered with golden swirls to represent the house she’d one day belong to. The cut of the dress on her chest was modest, showing the very tips of her collarbones. A strand of hair on both sides of her head was plaited and combined with the main plait towards the back, while still leaving the rest of her hair loose. Lorah came rushing back, securing her black fur cloak around her shoulders, the summers up north were still cold. 

Lorah took a deep breath and gently held her sister’s chin with her fingertips. “Let me look at you.” She murmured. Her eyes swept over Evelyn’s face and the rest of her body before smiling softly and nodding in approval. She almost teared up, her little sister was finally growing up to be a strong lady. It was a shame that their mother wasn’t alive to see her go, but they were sure she was watching somewhere. “You’re perfect.” She breathed. Evelyn smiled softly, knowing exactly what she was thinking. ‘I miss her too’ she thought, ‘so very much.’

Lorah shook her head, ridding herself of silly emotions. “Come on, we can’t be late, or else father will have our heads.” She joked. Evelyn giggled, glad at the lift of the mood. Lorah opened the door and the two sisters rushed through the corridors of the keep to the outside. 

Ferrer was growing agitated by the minute as he waited for his two blasted daughters. ‘Out of all the days, really!’ He deadpanned. He, his sons and his bannermen stood just outside the keep, waiting for Lord Elric and his family. He turned towards one of his sons. “Gregory, where is your sister?! They’ll be coming in at any moment!” He exclaimed. Gregory shrugged helplessly and Ferrer huffed. 

Wren looked up at his older brother, his small hand clutched in his. “Gis, where’s Evey?” He asked innocently, his doe-eyes wide with worry. Giso looked down at his little brother and sighed. “She’ll be coming soon, and stop talking like that. You’re 8, not 2.” The once innocent expression on Wren’s face soon became sour as he pouted and turned away. 

“Father they’ll be fine, worrying like that will make you age faster~.” Petyr sing songed as he teased Ferrer. Ferrer rolled his eyes, still staring out towards the gate where the bannermen were filing in. “Really? I haven’t noticed.” He murmured sarcastically, and Petyr chuckled. 

The tense silence was broken by rapid footsteps and panting. Ferrer looked at his daughters running in line with an exasperated expression. “Gods damn you two, where the hells were you?!” Lorah stepped in line but Ferrer stopped Evelyn. “Wait” he said, “let me see you.” He did a quick once over, before a smile graced his face and gave her a shoulder pat. “Good, now get in line.” All 6 children have reassuring smiles and thumbs up to Evelyn, and she smiled back timidly. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, the two main knights of House Elric rode into the courtyard. Ser Maria and Ser Denny rode in side by side, their brown leather armor with golden embroidery gleaming in the sun. Winry and Paninya Rockbell rode in next and Evelyn smiled excitedly. She had missed Winry for years and was happy to see her again, especially since she’d taken a consort. Paninya was adopted into the family and quickly fell in love with Winry, they’d soon be married once they come of age. It wouldn’t be long now. Evelyn wondered if she’d help with Winry’s wedding dress, it made her feel giddy. 

Evelyn’s once warm giddiness turned cold as Lord and Lady Elric finally rode in, with Edward and Alphonse behind them. She gulped as she stared at her intended. “There he is,” Lorah whispered in her ear, “your golden prince.” 

And golden prince he was. 

Everything about him was golden. His eyes, his skin, his hair. He stood out against the bleak greys of the north. He had the very look of his father while Alphonse shared the darker gold hues of his mother. He wore the traditional colors of his house, a cream colored tunic with gold suns etched onto the fabric and a golden yellow vest which was fitted snugly around his waist with a brown leather belt. His breeches were a light brown along with boots and cloak. His hair was plaited in the back while two strands flowed on the sides of his face. Alphonse wore a matching outfit but kept his hair short. Evelyn noticed the pin that Edward had on his cloak and smiled fondly. ‘My house sigil.’ He must have worn it out of respect. 

Lord Elric got off his horse and helped his wife to do the same. Once everyone was off, he made his way towards the Blackmyre family. All Lords and Ladies who receive another house kneel in respect. Hohenheim stopped in front of Ferrer, a stoic and serious expression on his face. With a wave of his hand he bid Ferrer to stand, along with the family. 

They stared at each other. The air was filled with tension so thick, one could slice through it with a sword. Hohenheim finally spoke, voice devoid of emotion.

“You’ve gotten old.” 

Ferrer kept his face expressionless before quirking his brow and giving Hohenheim a once over, as if saying ‘Have you seen yourself?’

Hohenheim couldn’t hold it in any longer and wheezed a laugh. The same bright smile broke out on Ferrer’s face as the two went in for a tight hug after not seeing each other for years. “My Lord, welcome to Blackmyre.” Ferrer said through a chuckle. “Don’t my lord me Ferrer. Gods, 5 years! What have you been doing?” Hohenheim exclaimed. Ferrer huffed “Trying to get through this damned winter. You’d think after so many years of freezing our asses off we’d be prepared!” 

Trisha giggled and chided him playfully. “Now Ferrer, what kind of example are you setting for the children using that kind of language.” Ferrer feigned an expression of deep regret and bowed pitifully. “My dear Lady, I do apologize.” He regained his posture and laughed, bringing Trisha in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, let’s go inside. I’ll have some stable boys take care of the horses.” He roughly wrapped his arm around Hohenheim’s shoulder, shaking it, and leading him inside. 

Once the two lords and lady left, the rest of the family stepped out of the line and greeted the Elric and Rockbells with warm hugs. Evelyn wasted no time and went to Winry, embracing her with all her might. “Oh look at you! You’ve grown so much! I’ve missed you Evey, how are you? How do you feel?” Winry exclaimed, her blue eyes glittering with excitement. Evelyn held her hands in hers and sighed, anxiety flowing through her body again. “I’m quite nervous, I haven’t even greeted him! What am I supposed to say?” Winry giggled and waved her hand. “Oh don’t worry, Ed’s nervous too, just give it time and don’t force it.” Evelyn didn’t say anything as her face creased with worry. Winry sympathized with her. “You’ll be fine, trust me. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Evelyn smiled gratefully and squeezed her hands. “Come on, let’s go in.” 

She hoped things would go smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! It begins :3  
> Something to listen to maybe? https://youtu.be/mP6uip1Lmfc


	3. The Feast- part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

It had been a couple of hours since everyone settled in the keep. The sun was now setting and the finishing touches were being added in the dining hall where the feast would be held. Edward had bathed and changed his clothes and was now fidgeting. Fixing non-existent wrinkles and twiddling with the rings on his fingers. The brothers outfits were more elaborate this time. They wore a black silk tunic with golden embroidery, a golden vest that was held snug at the waist with a black leather belt, black breeches and black boots. While their outfits were the same, Edward wore the same dark grey pin of the Blackmyre sigil on his vest. A dragon biting it’s tail. 

Alphonse sighed, slightly annoyed at his bother’s frequent pacing. “Brother, your pacing is making me nauseous.” He deadpanned. Edward stopped and look at his brother worryingly. “Is it?” He asked and Alphonse breathed a laugh. “No, but it is driving me up the wall. What has you so worried?” He asked, even though he knew exactly what the answer would be. 

Edward sputtered as he tried to form a coherent sentence. “It’s just-I mean-what do I say? I couldn’t even greet her when we got here!” He exclaimed, and yelped when Alphonse smacked him lightly in the back of the head. “You didn’t say hi?! What are you, 12?” “Hey!” Alphonse schooled his face back to seriousness. “Look Ed, she’s nervous too, but this won’t change anything. You’ll still be family and friend’s to each other. Just go up to her and talk to her like it’s nothing. It’s not like you’ll be marrying within the next month, it’ll be years!” 

Ed whined and slumped down on the nearest chair, pouting like a child. “I know...I just want her to be happy. She’s doing this for her family. They’ve always been her priority.” He smiled fondly to himself, remembering how fiercely protective she was of her younger siblings. Alphonse caught his look and smiled before patting his shoulder. “You’ll be fine, come it’s almost time for the feast.” Edward groaned and got up from the chair. “Ugh finally, I’m starving.” 

Just in time, a servant boy knocked and opened the door. “The feast is about to begin my Lords.” Edward smiled politely. “Thank you, we were just on our way out.” 

The feast was a lively affair. After the family entered and a speech was given about the two joining houses, joyful and upbeat music began to play as the bannermen and other lower lords enjoyed the meal. Wine was poured, laughs were exchanged, and beautiful men and women made their way around the tables trying to convince some of the people to buy a night. All in all, it was warm and happy. 

Edward glanced at Evelyn from the other side of the table and smiled fondly. Evelyn’s face was bright with laughter as she caught up with Winry and Paninya after so long. Her purple eyes were glittering against the lit candles on the table and her cheeks were flushed from the wine. He missed that smile. He remembered the moments from his childhood when they spent 3 months up in the north with them. Playing with Salo, Giso and Wren, sparring with Petyr and Gregory, getting teased by Lorah and spending time with Evelyn. Their personalities were quite similar, so it was expected that they would be attached by the hip. Even though she was a proper lady, she loved sparring with her daggers and challenging Ed at archery. 

He never knew that one day, he’d be seeing that smile everyday for the rest of his life. ‘At least I hope I do,’ he thought, ‘I want her to be happy.’ 

His thoughts were interrupted when he caught Wren launching a piece of meat towards Evelyn with a spoon. She flinched upon its impact and yelled. “WREN!” Her brothers and sister laughed as she tried to wipe the grease off of her face, and Ed tried not to snort too loudly. Ferrer caught Petyr looking at him to see if he noticed and gave him a stern look. Petyr’s laugh quickly died as he got up and picked up Wren easily. Wren whined as he was being shoved. “Come on, off you go now.” He said lightly through laughter. 

Edward laughed to himself, he missed this family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ed’s doing his best


	4. The Feast- part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

Hohenheim and Ferrer walked side by side through the crypts beneath the keep. No one said a word nor breathed to loudly, the only sounds were the crunch of dirt beneath their feet and the slow dripping sound of water far into the crypt. The dead sleep, but they listen. They stopped when they reached a statue of a woman, The soft smile etched onto the stone did no justice for her real one. Ferrer sighed, finally breaking the silence. 

Hohenheim knew what was running through his mind. “You know, it wasn’t your fault.” Ferrer said nothing, and never broke his stare from the statue, so he continued. “I never told you this, but she sent me a letter at some point. I remember she said something along the lines of ‘my greatest honor has been bearing Ferrer our children and having a family. I’d bear him many more if I could. I love him so very much.’ 

Ferrer winced as his eyes shined against the candle Dagny held in her hands. His gaze never wavered from her face however. “I should have been more careful. I don’t regret having any of my youngest, I never will. But I wonder...if maybe we should have stopped at-“ Hohenheim cut him off quickly before he could finish that blasted sentence. “Don’t finish that, I know what you’re going to say. I’ve never met someone as strong as Dagny, even the maesters said she would survive having more children. When I say it wasn’t your fault, I mean it Ferrer.” He said, slightly raising his voice at the end. He was quieter this time, not wishing to disturb those who slept. He turned to Ferrer. “It was that damned plague that took her, not you.” 

A silence stretched for a while as the two men gazed at the statue with solemn expressions, remembering the fiery young woman who once roamed the keep. It was a shame that Wren wasn’t able to know his mother for long, she died when he was just a babe of 3. Ferrer pressed his hand against her cold, lifeless cheek and ran his thumb along it. He wished he could feel her warmth. “I hope she’s somewhere safe, with the sun and the clouds above her. Next to a lake, perhaps.” Hohenheim knew he was referring to her home before Stonevale, where there was nothing but sunny skies and a lake as far as the eye could see. “Nonsense,” he said, “she’s here in the North, with you and your family. She was like a sister to me, I can feel presence right in these very halls. She never truly left.” 

They looked upon her for some time before Ferrer clapped Hohenheim’s shoulder and began to lead him out of the crypts. “Let’s get back, my family needs me up there. I was actually enjoying my wine for once.” He ended jokingly and Hohenheim chucked. “Ha! I still don’t understand how you can drink that watered down red piss you call wine, you’re lucky I brought a good Xerxian red!” Ferrer cackled at his comment, it was true that the North lacked when it came to a good red. “Your Xerxian red is too sweet for me, and spicy at times! Really, who puts spices in wine? Are you trying to burn my throat?” 

The two men laughed and exchanged good humor as they neared the dining hall, their spirits lifted after so long of not seeing each other. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edward was trying his best not to gag as he drank the wine, forcing the bitter liquid down his throat. He’s had wine before, the wine in Xerxes being the best in all of Amestris. He hadn’t think that the wine up North would be so horrible. ‘I can’t blame them, they don’t have the resources up here.’ 

Some time has passed since the feast began, but it was still lively as ever. A few guests left the hall, drunk and giddy, holding willing young men and women against them as they made their way to the guest rooms. Others just retired for the night. Ed let out an amused breath as he saw Salo practically falling asleep on the table while Giso balanced biscuits on his head. Gregory held a servant girl on his lap, waving his cup of wine as he re-enacted some tale to Lorah, who was smirking back at him in amusement. Petyr was catching up with Lord Elric, the two of them speaking as if time never passed. Wren came back after his temporary time-out and was now sitting on Lady Elric’s lap, babbling about how excited he was to see his other family again. Everyone was happy. 

But he couldn’t find Evelyn. His eyes swept through the hall, trying to see if he could catch his best friend, but he didn’t prevail. He moved to get up before he felt Alphonse touch his arm. “Where y’goin brother?” He slurred, his cheeks red and smile dopey. “Al! Geez how much did you drink? give me that.” He snatched the cup away from Al’s wavering fingers, his brother too drunk to grasp it fully. “I’m going to find Evelyn.” He caught the eye of a cup bearer and waved his hand. “Can you take my brother to his room please? He’s had too much to drink.” He ended with a smirk and the cup bearer looked amused. “Of course M’lord.” The cup bearer supported Alphonse with his arm all the while he whined about ‘no’ that drunk!’ 

Edward made his way to the far end of the table where Gregory and Lorah sat. “Do you know where Evelyn went?” He asked the two. Gregory smiled widely. “Oh my, the young lord is looking for his ~intended~” he sing-songed. Lorah made an un-lady like snort at her brother’s words. “Oh, do shut up Greg, she’s outside to the left Ed. ~Be gentle with her.~” She waved her fingers at him, a playful smirk at her lips. Edward rolled his eyes and scoffed, but smiled fondly and thanked them. ‘Those blasted twins are exactly the same.’ He thought. 

He made his way outside, shivering as the biting cold air hit his cheeks. Even though it was summer, the North was never warm. He walked around for a bit, before finally spotting the person he’d been looking for, who was currently petting a black heavy courser. He could hear her murmur sweet nothings to the horse, maybe it was hers? He didn’t remember her having one 5 years ago, she always borrowed Petyr’s brown destrier for riding. He stayed there for a moment, just watching her, not knowing what to do or say. An idea struck his mind, it was probably the only way to break the tension. He smiled mischievously and bent down to get a small rock. 

She still hasn’t noticed he was behind him, it was perfect. He was like a viper, creeping up against his prey, his eyes focusing on what was most important, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He made his way towards her, treading so lightly that the grass didn’t crunch against his weight. As quiet as a shadow. He stopped once he was at a relative distance. He aimed, reeled his arm back, and flung the rock at her. 

Evelyn yelped as she felt something hard smack against her rump. She thought it was probably one of her siblings, so she quickly reached under her dress for the dull dagger she had strapped against her leg. She unsheathed the dagger and flung it behind her with blind precision. She turned when she heard a familiar yelp behind her. It was a comical sight, seeing Edward go practically white at almost being ‘stabbed’ by his intended. He pointed a finger at her accusingly. “Damn you woman! Have you gone mad?!” He yelled, his voice breaking slightly as he went higher. All the anxiety she felt went away at that moment, the familiar teasing and bickering calming her. 

“You threw a rock at me!” 

“YOU TRIED TO STAB ME!” 

“Oh please, it was a sparring dagger. I assumed it was one of my siblings I wouldn’t stab them.” 

She giggled at how tense he still was when she made her way over to pick up the dagger. She sheathed the dagger and straightened her dress before looking up at him and crossing her arms, waiting. “What?” He said, looking confused. 

“Well, aren’t you going to apologize for smacking my ass?” 

“I didn’t smack your ass.”

“Well you hit my ass.”

“Such language shouldn’t come from a lady’s tongue.” 

“Oh you think this is language? Clearly after 5 years you have forgotten just what profanities can come out of my mouth. A lady’s tongue is quite powerful you know.” 

“Oh, I know.” He said, waggling his eyebrows and crossing his arms. 

They stared each other down for a moment, before Evelyn moved again. This time, as swift as a deer, she used her leg to incapacitate Ed’s leg, leaving him wobbling. She then grabbed his arm and flung him towards the ground. He yelped again as his head smacked against the hard earth and groaned as it thudded with a dull ache. Evelyn smirked and looked down at the helpless lord, he looked back at her with a straight face. She quirked her brow and he sighed, defeated. “I’m sorry I smacked your ass.” He said, though not sounding very apologetic. It was the best Evelyn was going to get. 

She giggled and held out her hand. “Come on, get up.” He held her hand and pulled himself up, her stance not wavering as she pulled his weight. ‘Still strong as ever, I’m lucky.’ He thought. Finally standing, he hesitated for a moment, the anxiety he had before creeping back up his body. This was stupid, they were still friends! He shouldn’t be afraid. ‘Fuck it.’ He said to himself as he wrapped his arm around Evelyn’s waist and brought her in for a tight hug. Evelyn left her arms in the air around him, stunned that he finally embraced her, but soon enough she embraced back. They held each other for a few moments, savoring each other’s embrace after so long. She breathed in his scent and sighed, it was comforting almost. He had an earthy scent, but not like the earth up north. It reminded her of sand dunes, of the arid heat of the south and the unwavering sunlight. It filled her with a sense a warmth, and that warmth flowed through her veins. She lifted her head from his chest and rested her chin on his sternum, looking up at him and smiling. “I’m sorry I almost slightly stabbed you, and for throwing you down.” Ed breathed out a soft laugh and smiled down at his best friend fondly. “Oh shut up, I know you’re not.” “No, I’m not.” “Well, I’m not sorry for throwing a rock at your ass.” She giggled and rested her head against his chest again, squeezing him tighter for good measure. 

“I’ve missed you.” 

“Me too.” 

He squeezed her back, breathing in the lavender soap she used for her hair before they separated. “I saw that you were petting that horse, did you finally get one?” He asked. Evelyn’s eyes brightened and she smiled. “I did! Last year, she’s beautiful isn’t she? A black courser but she’s not too big. Her name is Envy.” Edward laughed at the name and remembered where the tradition came from. When Petyr first got his horse, he named him Pride. Gregory and Lorah thought the name was clever, and named their horses Greed and Lust. “I guess you followed the tradition then, do you think Salo will name his Sloth? It’d be quite amusing if that horse was as lazy as a log just like he is.” Evelyn laughed at his joke and looped her arm around his, taking a leisurely stroll. “I’m not sure, but I know that Wren will probably name his Wrath, spiteful little thing.” Even though Wren sometimes had his fits, she loved her baby brother will all her heart. She felt for him, really. He lost his mother at the tender age of 3 and still talks as if he was at that age, his voice resembling that of a toddler. The poor thing. When he was happy though, he showed his true colors, and he was just as mischievous as his other siblings. “He’s grown so much! He’s practically at my waist now.” Ed exclaimed. Evelyn didn’t waste a beat to tease him about his height. “That’s not really an accomplishment, considering your height.” “I’m taller than you!” 

On and on they bickered and teased, shared stories and remembered the past. It was natural for them, they’d almost forgotten that they would one day get married. It all came rushing back to Evelyn, how much her life would change in a manner of 3 or so years. It was frightening, moving away from home to a foreign land. But she knew she’d be safe with Ed, and that he would make her happy. Living out the rest of your days with your best friend and companion didn’t sound bad at all. “You know Ed, this doesn’t change anything about us.” She said, looking up at his gold eyes, eyes she will look upon for the rest of her days. Edward sighed, “I know. But I have to admit, it’s....it’s many things, really. It’s frightening, and exciting and!...” he couldn’t find more words to describe what he was feeling, but Evelyn understood. “I understand, I feel the same way. But we’ll always have each other, no matter what.” She rubbed his arm in a comforting manner and Ed greatly appreciated it, it calmed his nerves. “No matter what.” He replied, before speaking again. “You’ll love Xerxes, I know it! It’s a beautiful place, and trust me when I say it’s not all sand. There are beautiful oases and we have water gardens in our castle. We can make regular trips up North if you’d like.” Evelyn laughed softly as he babbled on, he really wanted to make her happy. Hearing him talk about his homeland and hers with such respect filled her with warmth. If her father had chosen anyone else, she would have probably declined. Thank the gods he knew Edward was the best person to be her husband. “Edward, since you’re staying for a month before I eventually have to...” she stopped for a moment, the thought of leaving Stonevale stunting her. Ed looked at her with sympathy, wanting to make her feel better but knowing it probably wouldn’t happen. She continued. “Before I have to leave, can you teach me some Xerxian? I know you favor the Xerxian tongue more than the common tongue. I want to know the language of my people.” 

Edward’s chest filled with an emotion he couldn’t explain. ‘My people’ she had said. She wanted to learn the language of his motherland, the place he was born. He was at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as he gazed at her. Evelyn was almost worried she had offended him somehow before he got his bearings and replied. “O-of course.” He said softly. Evelyn smiled at him, “Thank you.” She said quietly, before resuming her walk with him. They arrived back at the entrance and stopped in front of it. “You can let go of my arm if you want.” Edward said, looking down at their linked arms. Evelyn thought about it for a moment, before lifting her head up high with confidence. “Nonsense, you’re my intended. I will show my people that our union brings me pride.” 

Edward smiled at her, slightly feeling giddy though he wouldn’t admit it, and they walked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something to listen to while reading this
> 
> https://youtu.be/bvNZeh6f8vE


	5. A lesson in confidence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

Edward and Evelyn entered the dining hall, hand in hand with their heads held high. Everyone heard the creak of the oak doors opening and turned to see what the source of the sound was. At seeing the future of House Elric and House Blackmyre together with their arms linked, the guests cheered wildly, raising their glasses and calling out their names. Ferrer was close by, red cheeked and smiling brightly. He made his way towards his daughter and future son, before picking both of them up and enveloping them in a tight hug. Edward and Evelyn groaned as they felt their backs crack and faces get squished against Ferrer’s breastplate. Ferrer let out a booming laugh before making a speech. “My daughter! You have truly made me proud this day. Houses unify day in and day out, but none of them compare to our alliance, all thanks to your unwavering love and loyalty to your family. Surely, two houses can come together through marriage, but love, love is what makes one strong. A bond that cannot be shaken! The North and the South will be as powerful as ever. To House Elric and House Blackmyre!” 

The guests cheered along with the respective families. Edward and Evelyn’s faces probably looked like tomatoes at this moment, but they looked at each other and laughed. Evelyn made her way back to Gregory and Lorah while Edward went to go find Alphonse. Lorah yanked her arm and set her on her lap, all the while begging for details as to what happened outside. Gregory looked at them excitedly as well as Petyr, who all but ran to the table to hear what Evelyn had to say. Paninya was showing off her metal legs to Salo and Giso and Winry was dancing with little Wren. 

The old gods have truly blessed them this day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Feast was over and all the guests left to their respective homes and rooms. Ferrer, Hohenheim and Trisha tried not to fall over each other as they walked through the halls, laughing and stumbling to their rooms. Wren, Giso and Salo were put to bed earlier, and Gregory and Petyr were in their rooms, probably with the company of women. 

When Evelyn arrived to the table some hours before, Lorah told her not to drink anymore until the sleepover with Asa. Now that Lorah, Evelyn and Asa were in the same room, dressed in their nightgowns and silk robes, she understood why. 

“Asa my dear, Evelyn needs a lessn.” Lorah slightly slurred. Evelyn panicked a bit, she thought she didn’t have to do “it” for another couple years! “Wait wait wait! You said I didn’t have to do...that!” Evelyn exclaimed, her face sporting an impressive shade of red that could probably compete with the wine. Lorah and Asa cackled at her, before Lorah responded. “No sweet sister, not that kind of lesson. Tonight, Asa will be giving you a lesson in confidence. It does come in that territory though~.” She teased and Evelyn relaxed slightly. She took a sip of her wine to calm her nerves. “A lesson in confidence it shall be my dear, now stand up.” Asa commanded. Evelyn obeyed, not knowing what was about to happen. Asa examines her from head to toe, taking in her face and frame. “Do a spin for me. Ah! Not too fast.” Evelyn huffed and did a slow turn. Asa made some kind of noise of approval and had her hand under her chin, as if she was trying to figure out some type of illness. “My dear, your sister has told me how you view yourself. I want you to know that your beauty is unparalleled, just like your sister. When it comes to confidence, it’s not about comparing your body to others. It’s about using your best to your advantage, and taking pride in that. Now tell me, what do you like most about yourself?” Asa asked, taking a hearty sip of her wine. 

Evelyn thought for a moment. This was proving to be rather difficult, she’s always had issues with her image. Always focusing on what she didn’t like rather than what she did. “I suppose...I love my eyes. My eye color.” She concluded. “Your eyes! Your color is a rarity as well as Edward’s. The most beautiful and radiant amethyst pales in comparison to your eyes, my dear Evelyn.” She praised, raising her glass. Evelyn began to smile and feel giddy, especially when she saw Lorah nod enthusiastically. Asa then got quiet, and placed her fingers under Evelyn’s chin. “Remember, you must always look into Edward’s eyes. Love comes in at the eyes, and yours hold the window to the soul. I can see...you can invoke so many emotions with one look. Look at him, and rest assured that with time, he will submit to your gaze.” 

The thought of something so intimate, so intense made shivers run down her spine. She gulped and nodded in understanding. The seriousness faded away and soon returned to playfulness. Evelyn took another sip, taking in more than last time. “Now let’s see...what else? Also, it’s not always about the body.” Lorah piped in on this. “Oh! She’s very bold and quick with him. When they were outside, she threw him to the ground! Didn’t you Evey?” She exclaimed excitedly and Asa gasped dramatically. Evelyn giggled. “I did! He threw a rock at my ass, so I ‘tried’ to stab him with a sparring knife. Then he made a comment about how my tongue was powerful and then I threw him to the ground!” The three girls cackled loudly and Asa was wiping away tears from her eyes. “By the gods I didn’t expect this! You’re a fiery one I’ll tell you that. Seems to me that Edward likes it too. Bickering and play fighting comes natural to you both. Keep it and use your wit to your advantage. Not many ladies have that I assure you. I do admit though, a lord shouldn’t be making such suggestive comments to a lady~” She teased. “No he’s fine, I know that Edward was fooling around he wouldn’t intentionally insult Evelyn. He’s not like Lord Kimblee.” Lorah ended in disgust and Asa gagged at the name of the lord. 

“Gods, he was a cunt wasn’t he?” 

“The worst kind of cunt! So much so that my father canceled our engagement. It was a shame he didn’t mount his head on a spike, I wouldn’t have really loved to see that.” 

“I would have rather much preferred he cut off that rat’s tail he calls a hairdo!” Evelyn exclaimed, and the girls doubled over from the force of their laughter. 

“Stop, stop! Before I piss myself!” Lorah shrieked 

“I think I just did!” Asa yelled

There was another round of laughter before they laid there, panting and giggling. “Oh! I heard you do archery?” Asa questioned and Evelyn piped up excitedly. “I do!”, “That must mean you’re very strong! If you don’t mind, may I see your back?” Asa asked, and Evelyn nodded. She turned around and untied her silk light blue robe, letting it fall at her feet before pulling down her night gown, letting it rest at her waist. She couldn’t see them, but the gasps Asa and Lorah emitted were comical. 

“Look at those muscles! Lorah, do you see that?” 

“Absolutely amazing! Look at the definition! They’re so toned but simple.” 

“Lorah why are you so surprised? You’ve seen them before when we bathed together.” 

“Still! It’s a sight to behold.” 

Evelyn pulled her nightgown back up but left the robe on the floor. She turned to them and they gasped again. Evelyn laughed at their facial expressions, their eyes as wide as plates. 

“Those arms! You could probably lift Edward if you tried!” 

“She already has!” 

“Evey, you MUST wear backless dresses when you get to Xerxes. Xerxians value strength above all else, show it to them. It’s far too cold up North to be wearing things like that.” Asa offered, and Evelyn nodded. She did a little twirl, feeling like a goddess. It was exhilarating! She’d never felt so happy about herself. She felt like she could conquer the world, best men at their own games and enjoy herself. Lorah and Asa smiled at her giddiness. 

“Evelyn come to me! You’re such a blessing.” Asa beckoned her. Evelyn, already drunk, skipped her way towards Asa and sat on her lap. Asa held her to her breast and embraced her. “You’re truly special, and Edward is very lucky to have you. Spending a lifetime with your best friend is something not many people get to do. Don’t you worry! Soon enough Edward will fall deeply in love with you and on your wedding night-“ Asa dipped Evelyn dramatically and she shrieked with laughter. “He will come undone under your power and passion and scream in your ear! ‘Oh, Evelyn!’” She moaned dramatically and Lorah joined in, holding Evelyn and swaying in their drunken haze. ‘Oh, Evelyn! Oh, Evelyn!’ 

Evelyn’s face beat the red wine, but she was too drunk and happy to care. The 3 girls collapsed on the bed, shrieking with laughter and embracing each other. Unbeknownst to them, Septa Gladys burst into the room, the old lady’s face scrunched with fury. “What is the meaning of this! Such explicit topics shouldn’t be shared amongst ladies like yourselves!” She bellowed. Lorah, still giggling, looked at her with an unfocused gaze. “Oh come on Septa, are you telling me you didn’t sleep with stable boys back in your prime?” Asa and Evelyn cackled at Lorah’s comment while Septa Gladys sputtered. “By the gods! Sleeping with stable boys, what do you take me for?!” She took on a tone that was quite threatening which made the 3 girls stop laughing. They looked at the Septa with guilt before a bright smile broke out on Gladys’ face. 

“A farmer?!” 

Gladys, Evelyn, Lorah and Asa began another round of shrieking laughter, holding their stomachs as they doubled over from the sheer force of it. They calmed down and the Septa spoke again. “In all seriousness, you lot are being far too loud and Lady Evelyn needs to sleep. She’s had a long day.” She ended mischievously and the 3 girls giggled. “You’re right, but you two are sleeping here! The bed’s big enough.” Lorah said, her finger pointing up as if it was a grand idea. She turned to get the bed ready and Evelyn turned to Gladys. “Thank you Septa, goodnight.” Gladys looked at the girls fondly. “Goodnight my ladies.” She bowed and left the room still laughing softly to herself. 

Evelyn sighed as she plopped herself on to the bed and Lorah and Asa embraced her. They exchanged their goodnights and drifted off into a deep, drunken sleep. This was one of the best nights of her life. She hoped that her days would always feel like this. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evelyn woke up the next morning throwing up into her chamber pot and with a raging headache. Lorah and Asa weren’t doing too well either. 

‘I stand corrected’ she thought bitterly, before heaving into her chamber pot again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~I’m feeling myself~


	6. Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

A few weeks had passed since the feast, and the fateful day in which Evelyn would leave her home drew closer and closer. It had been a good few weeks. She had spent most of her time with the Elrics, catching up after 5 years. Hohenheim was still as awkward as ever, but endearing all the same. Edward resembled his father so much, not only in looks but in demeanor. Trisha was lucky to have him in her life. Sometimes, when she’d catch Hohenheim looking at Trisha with stars in his eyes, she hoped that one day Ed could look at her that way.

These thoughts came and left her mind in a matter of seconds however, such a notion was impossible. ‘He doesn’t feel that way about me.’ Though, she wasn’t sure she felt that way either. Perhaps it was the fact that whenever he spoke his mother tongue it made her heart flutter in her chest. Was it the way he sounded? The way the peculiar words rolled off his tongue so easily? Did she look forward to her lessons just because she would hear him speak? She didn’t know.

Speaking of lessons, the majority of them were productive. Evelyn was a quick learner and she was able to grasp some words and phrases easily. Others, however...

“Try to say ‘My name is Evelyn Blackmyre and I was born in Stonevale.”

“All of that?!”

“All of it. Come on, I know you can do it.”

“Ugh...Brōzio ñuha...isis Evelyn Blackmyre se īlen...āzma isse...dōron Vāle?” 

“Eh, close enough. You’re missing a K in ‘Iksis’ and you’re leaving spaces in between words. Try to be more fluid, like this. Brōzio ñuha iksis Evelyn Blackmyre se īlen āzma isse dōron Vāle. Go on!”

Evelyn felt her throat go dry and gulped. All coherent thought left her mind after she heard him speak the phrase. ‘Gods, what’s wrong with me?!’ She couldn’t understand why him speaking Xerxian left her heart beating like a bird in a cage. Her face was flushed and she couldn’t even describe what was going on between her-

“Evey?”

Evelyn blinked and reality flooded in. “Huh?” 

“Are you alright? You stared for a moment.” 

“O-oh did I? I’m sorry I...I’m not feeling well.” 

“Oh ok, we can continue when you feel better.” 

And that was that. 

Evelyn laid in her bed, staring at the canopy while a million thoughts ran amok in her head. Really, it didn’t mean anything. Asa had told her some girls felt like that during that age. It could just possibly be her body going against her better judgment. She was positive that Edward had no feelings for her. Sure, they were best friends and they loved each other, but not like lovers do. They’d known each other since they were babes of 2 and 3 and were attached at the hip. Others always mentioned how close they were and how they thought one day they’d fall in love. It was like a joke, only she was the joke and life was laughing at her misery. 

No, he didn’t love her like that. 

But the thought of him loving someone else while they’re married made her heart ache. It wasn’t like he was her property, he could still do his duty as a husband while being happy with someone else. The same thing went for her, she could find someone to be happy with as well. But for some reason she couldn’t stomach the idea of not being loyal to him, even if he didn’t feel anything for her. She had said so herself, “We’ll always have each other.” She meant every word of it. No matter how much it hurt her heart being split in two, she would be loyal to her husband, regardless of who he shared his bed with. Or his love. 

Evelyn covered her face with her hands and whined, curling in on herself. In moments like these, she wished her mother was here. Dagny died when she was 11 and being without a mother at such a young age was hard, she couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for Wren. She wished she could have some motherly advice about what she was feeling. Sure, she had Lorah and Asa, but Lorah didn’t feel romantic nor sexual attraction and she didn’t know if talking to Asa would be enough. Because she was a bastard, she didn’t have to worry about arranged marriages and all that came with it. She was glad she had Lorah when she got her first moonblood. What seemed to be a horrid event then was now a funny memory. Dagny died before she could see her second daughter grow up into a woman. 

Evelyn was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a soft knock at the door. It was well into morning but she hadn’t got up yet. She tied her night robe and padded her way to the door. Surprisingly, it was Lady Elric on the other side, sporting her signature soft smile. “Lady Elric! I’m sorry I didn’t expect you, I’m underdressed.” She looked down hesitantly at her night clothes. Trisha giggled and waved her hand dismissively. “It’s quite alright, but I am hoping you could change. I was wondering if you’d like to take a walk with me?” 

Evelyn smiled softly and nodded, she could use a distraction and spending time with Trisha always made her feel better. “Wonderful! I’ll call someone to help dress you.” Trisha turned and spotted one of the handmaidens. She daintily waved a hand at her to catch her attention and the handmaiden rushed to her. “May you help her get dressed?” She said, ever so sweet and polite. “Yes m’lady.” The handmaiden bowed and stepped into the room. “I’ll be waiting here.” Trisha said before closing the door. 

Evelyn’s hair was in a simple side plait and she chose one of her simpler blue dresses. Her father, Hohenheim and the boys all went hunting and wouldn’t return until supper, so she didn’t feel the need to dress up. Her day was going to be uneventful, apart from walking with Trisha. She stepped out of the room and Trisha smiled, looping her arm in hers and making their way out of the keep. The cool air hit her cheeks and she sighed, already feeling better. Being outside always lifted her spirits, she would certainly miss the cold north. The two ladies made their way to the rose gardens. 

“Tell me Evelyn, how do you feel about coming to Xerxes?” 

So much for feeling better, oh well. 

“Well I...I’m sad, to say the least. I’m going to miss my family here, and my home. But I know that I’ll be happy in Xerxes as well, with all of you. Your family means so much to me and I’m so grateful fo-“ 

“Evelyn you’re tense. What’s the matter? Edward told me you acted strange during your lesson and played it off as being sick. You know he can read you like a book, what ails you dear?” 

Evelyn looked up at Trisha with wide eyes. Ed told her? And he knew she lied? Gods damn him and his ability to see right through her. She sighed, she knew she wouldn’t be getting out of this one. 

“Lady El-“

“You can call me Trisha.” 

“Trisha...how was it at first? Being married to Hohenheim?” 

Trisha looked to be in deep thought before responding. 

“It was strange at first, our circumstances weren’t as traditional as other houses which is why he took my last name, but it was still an arrangement. He was so reserved at first, not willing to open himself up to me. I understood why, but it still infuriated me. We didn’t love each other at first, but as we slowly got to know one another, it grew.” Trisha smiled fondly, looking ahead and remembering the start of their marriage. Strange circumstances indeed, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “When I saw his true colors, I knew I didn’t want to be with anyone else. It was an arrangement but we can’t help it. We love whom we love.” 

Evelyn watched as a flurry of emotions crossed Trisha’s face, it almost looked like tears were in her eyes. She certainly loved Hohenheim very much. 

“You love him?” 

“More than life itself.” 

“How did you know?”

Trisha stopped walking for a moment and turned to Evelyn. 

“Evelyn...do you love Edward?” 

Evelyn tried to formulate words to describe what she was feeling, but found that she couldn’t. It was all so complex. 

“I-I don’t know. It’s all so strange, one moment we’re just like normal best friends, and in the next he leaves my heart beating like it wants to jump out of my chest. I know he doesn’t love me that way, but I’m not sure if I do. My mouth feels dry and my body feels hot and I can feel something...something that I never knew I could feel about a person.” Evelyn’s cheeks flushed a light pink at the end of her rant, and Trisha knew what she meant. They resumed their walk. 

“I understand. But first, don’t assume that he doesn’t love you. I’m not saying he does, but heed my words. Remember, you have a few years before the marriage to figure things out. Love can grow in time, through lessons, through spending time with one another, through...’other’ things.” She ended with a soft smirk. 

Evelyn picked at her fingers at the thought of doing...that with Edward. A few years sounds like a million years and 3 days at the same time. “I’ll be having children...with him. We’ll have to...” Evelyn’s face heated up even more, her cheeks sporting a shade of red that rivaled the roses in the garden. Trisha giggled at her flustered state. 

“A few years!-“ 

“I know! I know...but still! It’s..it’s...” 

“Well?”

“...embarrassing.” 

She giggled again. “Not after so long if it feels good. Even if you don’t develop feelings for one another, the act could feel natural for you two. I know that he wouldn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. But like I said, love can grow through that. It can come when you least expect it.” 

“I’m worried about the pain.” 

“It’s different for everyone. You’re an active girl, always going horseback riding and sparring. Your maidenhead sometimes loosens over the years, or so I’ve been told. You probably won’t feel so much pain. Edward cares about you, he’ll be considerate. It slightly hurt for me at first but after...you know.” She finished off with an airy chuckle. “Childbirth on the other hand...that’s a different story. Delivering Edward was difficult, I labored almost a day and a half. The pain was...horrible. I’m surprised Hohenheim didn’t go deaf with the amount of screaming I did. I was sure people on the other end of Xerxes heard me. But those 12 hours of pain was all worth it when I held him in my arms...” Trisha smiled fondly again, this time letting her previously unshed tears flow down her face. “Feeling his little breaths against my chest, holding his tiny little hand with my finger. It was worth it. You may never truly love Edward, but you will love his children. And he will love his children. But I know him...I sense there’s more to what he feels for you, but only time will tell.” 

Heading Trisha speak about her children reminded her of her siblings. While Trisha only had 2, Dagny had 7. It must have been a remarkable feat, she thought. Bringing in 7 children into the world. She knew father loved her very much so she knew he never forced her. Her fondest memories of her mother were when she announced she would be having another baby, her smile so bright it could compete with the sun. She always talked about having more children. She wondered why Trisha only had two.

“I was wondering...why did you stop at 2? Why not 3 or 4 children?” 

Trisha and Evelyn reached the end of the garden where the pergola was. They stepped under it and Trisha took Evelyn’s hands in her own. She looked down at them for a moment before looking up at her. 

“You know, I’ve always admired your mother’s strength. Even though it was the sickness that took her, she was still resilient through childbirth.” 

There was a pause. 

“2 years after Alphonse was born, I got very sick. It wasn’t the same illness your mother had, but it still left me incredibly weak. The maester thought I was going to die, but I pushed through no matter how much my body rejected me. After a while, I was completely recovered but...every time Hohenheim and I tried to have another child, it wouldn’t seem to happen. It wasn’t that we were able to conceive one but it died shortly after, we couldn’t conceive at all.” 

Trisha’s voice broke and Evelyn felt her hands squeezing hers. She rubbed her thumb against her straining knuckles not because it hurt her, but she wanted to comfort her. It seemed to work, only a bit. 

“The illness left me so weak that it left me barren. I begged Hohenheim for forgiveness, for not being able to give him another son, or a daughter. He told me it wasn’t my fault, that it would never be my fault but at that moment I thought it was.” 

Evelyn looked at Trisha with sympathy and awe, wanting to comfort her but not knowing how. She never knew that the happy go lucky person she’d known for years was actually holding so much weight. Trisha took a couple of breaths to calm herself before straightening. 

“If I hadn’t gotten sick, I would have probably competed against your mother for who could bear the most children.” She giggled wistfully and Evelyn’s lips curled into a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. Trisha then met her eyes, and looked at her with a motherly type of fondness that Evelyn forgot existed. 

“We don’t believe in any gods in Xerxes, but I prayed to whoever was listening for a child. A girl specifically...” Trisha cupped Evelyn’s cheek in her hand. “Who knew that one day, my prayers would be answered.” 

Evelyn gasped softly as she saw a new wave of tears in Trisha’s eyes, but these were tears of joy. 

“I know I can’t compare to your mother, may she rest in peace, but I’ve always looked at you as one of my own. I want you to know that I will always be here for you when you need me. No matter what. You are my daughter, and I love you so very much Evelyn. So much.” 

She couldn’t hear any more. Evelyn threw herself into Trisha’s arms sobbing. She’s been without a mother in so long, so very long. Feeling Trisha’s embrace reminded her of Dagny, and she knew somewhere out there, she was smiling. Maybe she knew Trisha would be the one? Maybe she planned all of this? Who knows. Evelyn didn’t care. 

She was just happy to have a mother again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO Xerxian in this AU is Valyrian. I used a translator but because this is a fictional language, it’s not the best. We’re going to assume it’s accurate tho ;)


	7. The Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

She leaves today. 

Yesterday was her 17th nameday, the last nameday she would spend in Stonevale for a very long time. It was a simple celebration, as it always had been. It wasn’t because they didn’t have the funds for an elaborate celebration, on the contrary, they do. But namedays in her family were a sacred thing, and they only grew in worth when Dagny left the world. Evelyn didn’t want any elaborate parties or silk dresses, she just wanted to be surrounded by those she loved, her family, one last time. She hoped it wouldn’t be the last time though. 

The cooks baked her her favorite treats. Candied plums, orange tarts, lemon cakes and more. Evelyn had always had a sweet tooth and made sure to compliment the cooks on their hard work. They presented her with the sweets and brightened at her childlike smile. Ferrer had to stop her at some point and tell her ‘leave some for the rest of your family, are you trying to starve us?’ But there was no venom in his tone. He ruffled her hair and gave her a fond smile. She smiled back, albeit with much effort as her cheeks were stuffed with food. Because the Elrics came during the month of her nameday, they brought her gifts. Trisha gave her a hairbrush and mirror set, both being made out of dark oak. The craftsmanship of the two were beautiful, the wood was smooth and polished and adorned with beautiful carvings. The carvings were painted dark green stems with little golden buds growing out of them. Hohenheim have her a Xerxian dagger and Evelyn all but jumped with glee. She had been meaning to get a new one for sometime. The hilt of the blade was made of the same dark oak, but instead of flowers it was decorated with golden swirls. The blade itself was thin but strong, it worked best with how she maneuvered it. Winry and Paninya gave her a jeweled Xerxian headpiece. It was a crown of sorts, but it rested in her forehead. The headpiece was a chain of gold with red jewels in them, and one jewel rested on her forehead in a teardrop shape. Alphonse gave her a book about the different plants and animals in Xerxes that was fortunately, written in the common tongue. Her Xerxian wasn’t nearly as perfect as she would like it to be, but she had another month before she would arrive in Xerxes. She loved every single gift to its entirety, each of them earning a place in her heart. 

Edward’s gift however, earned a very special place. 

Edward told her he wanted to give her his gift in private. Evelyn didn’t know what he had planned, and it made her stomach clench with worry. He looked...solemn when he said that, or maybe it was some other emotion she couldn’t figure out. Nonetheless, it still irked her. It was sometime after the exchange of gifts and Evelyn was in her chambers. The family decided that they would go riding and Evelyn was already changed into her riding clothes. As she was putting on her boots, there was a knock at the door. She quickly slipped her boots on and made her way to the door, opening it. Edward was on the other side, now with a nervous expression on his face. She moved aside, “Come in” she beckoned him. He stepped inside, already in his ridding clothes, and fidgeted for a moment. Evelyn noticed that he held something in his hand, a chain of sorts. 

“Ed...are you alright?” 

He looked at her for a moment, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, trying to formulate words. 

“I-I am...I brought you your gift. Come here.” 

She stepped towards him and waited patiently. She tried to keep her face calm, but her hands were shaking. Why did he look at her that way? Why does she feel this way? 

“Hold out your hand.” 

She held out her hand. She didn’t expect him to cup her hand in his. It was warm against her slightly cold one and her’s was slightly dwarfed compared to his. He lifted his other hand, the one that was holding the chain, and slowly poured the chain out on her hand. It was a necklace. A simple gold chain that held a circular jewel in the middle, a piece of gold was shaped and held the jewel and the jewel itself was beautiful, albeit strange. It had a distinct blue and white coloration to it.

“What do you see?” He said softly, his gold eyes gazing intently into her purple ones. He still held her hand. 

“Oh, it’s a picture?” 

“Yes.” 

She took a closer look at the jewel, and noticed it wasn’t a jewel at all. It was a round piece of glass was molded in front of the image. She took in the soft white below the picture, and the gradient blues above it. There were some soft white specks as well. 

It was a snowy landscape, with a starless night sky and snow falling softly on to the ground. She felt herself go to that place, the wind blowing softly in her hair, feeling the little snowflakes land on her face and eyelashes. It felt like home. 

“Ed...this is...”

“May I?” 

He removed his hand from under hers, ‘it was still there.’ and held out the necklace. Evelyn turned and lifted her hair to give him access to her neck. Even through the thick fabric of her riding clothes, she shivered when she felt his fingers slightly brush the side of her neck as he looped the necklace around it. She heard him exhale softly when he couldn’t quite get the latch and stepped closer to her. She shivered again and swallowed. ‘What’s wrong with me?’

He stepped back and removed his hands from her neck. She took the jewel in her hands and inspected it again. Even though the jewel was small, the attention to detail in the picture was amazing. Snow wasn’t soft and pillow-like in real life, but it looked so soft and plush in the image, all she wanted to do was let herself fall on it and sleep. She turned around. Now he looked flustered, not willing to look at her in the eye while he scratched the back of his neck. 

“I wasn’t born with any artistic talent I’m afraid, so I used alchemy to make it. But...I knew that you’d miss home, so I wanted to bring home closer to you. Whenever you’re feeling sad, I want you to look at it and remember that you have home close to your heart. I-I know that it wouldn’t be enough to make you feel completely at ease but-“ 

“Y-you made it?” 

Edward looked up at the sound of her voice breaking. He watched as tears streamed down her face. 

“Yes, I did.” 

She didn’t say anything for a few moments, only looking at him. He made this, for her. Sure, he used alchemy, but when one is creating something with alchemy, you have to think about what you want. He created this image thinking about her home, about what mattered to her the most. 

He didn’t go to some jeweler. 

He made it. 

Without saying a word, she sprung into his arms and embraced him tightly, crying into his chest. Edward held his arms in the air, stunned for a moment before finally embracing her back, smoothing his hand up and down her back to soothe her. He let his head drop in the junction of her neck and breathed in her smell. It was the same scent of lavender she used in her hair, the one she’d been using for years, but it was stronger today. He held her closer against him and she did the same, calming down a bit. Neither wanted to let each other go. She looked so small in Edward’s arms and all he wanted to do was hold her and protect her. Make her feel like she wasn’t alone in this world, that she could always fall back on him. It probably wasn’t a secret to anyone, but he has loved her for a long, long time. He doesn’t remember when it started, but he had always seen her as his best friend and someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He loved her, and that type of love grew into something else, something deeper. He moved his hands to cup them just above her hips, rubbing his thumb there, before lifting his head. Evelyn lifted hers as well. Her eyes were red and puffy and her still wet eyelashes stood out against her glittery purple hues. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips were red and swollen. Even after a crying session, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. An eyebrow of hers was disheveled, so he ran his thumb over it, smoothing it out and then cupping her face. 

He was so close to her, they’ve never been so close to each other, not like this. The air was thick with his earthy smell and it made her feel lightheaded, all that surrounded her was him. The hand on her hip grounded her while the hand on her cheek left her feeling weak at the knees. Edward was never good at hiding his emotions and Evelyn could see so many beneath his eyes. He was looking at her with concern, hoping that she was better now, and something...some other emotion she couldn’t place. But the intensity of his gaze made her heart beat madly. Standing so close to him, she got a proper look at his face. His prominent jawline and nose, the barest of freckles that adorned his tanned cheeks, his eyes and hair. It seemed that what ever god had created him truly crafted his body from gold, spun golden threads for his eyelashes and hair and poured liquid gold in his eyes. No, he wasn’t handsome, handsome couldn’t perfectly describe what she was seeing right now. 

He was beautiful. 

And whether or not she liked to admit it, he was hers. 

“I love it, thank you.” She said, so quietly that Edward almost missed it. 

He said nothing and stepped closer, just a bit. He leaned in closer to her face and stopped, as if he was asking himself if it was right. Evelyn’s heart beat wildly against her chest, she was almost certain he could hear it. She couldn’t even breathe. ‘Is he going to kiss me?’ She couldn’t look up at his eyes anymore, instead she looked at his chin, her eyes wide and face beat red. 

Edward tilted his head up and pressed his lips right above the space between her brows. He lingered there for some time before pulling back. Evelyn’s soul practically left her body at that moment. He stayed there, gathering his bearings before he nodded and turned, leaving the room and not closing the door. 

Evelyn exhaled raggedly, releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She took in a couple of breathes to steady her rapidly beating heart, but it didn’t do much. Her face felt like it was on fire, her hands were clammy and her body wasn’t fully there. All coherent thought left her when those lips touched her forehead. Everything that surrounded her in that moment was Edward, all of him. When he left, it was as if the air itself was ripped away from her lungs, leaving her breathless and wanting for more.

All of her questions had been answered in that very moment. She knew, she wasn’t stupid.

Something had changed.

She couldn’t look at him when they went riding, he couldn’t either. 

Now she was standing in the courtyard, wearing her riding clothes again but ones that were more durable for the long journey. Lord Elric saddled Envy for her as she said her farewells to her family. She hugged Lorah, Gregory and Petyr all together, all 3 of them enveloping her in a right embrace. 

“Send as many ravens as you can!”

“Don’t do anything stupid on the way there!”

“We’ll miss you, so very much.” 

She stepped away to hug her 3 little ones before Lorah grabbed her wrist. She turned her wrist and slipped a dark grey band holding a blood red jewel in the middle. Evelyn gasped. 

“Lorah I can’t have this! This was mother’s and she gave this to you!” She exclaimed. 

Lorah shook her head. “I don’t care, I want you to have a piece of her from now on, since you’ll be far from home. Keep it, and take good care of it.” She padded Evelyn’s hand softly and smiled. Evelyn willed her tears back as she nodded and stepped away. She embraced Salo and Giso tightly and kissed their heads. “You two be good while I’m gone, and remember I won’t be gone forever. You’ll be seeing me soon.” The two boys nodded with determination while trying to hold back their tears. ‘They want to be so strong for me, how sweet’ she thought fondly. Finally, she placed her hands on her knees and leaned forward, meeting eye to eye with little Wren. He looked back at her with a slight scowl. She knew he’d probably be angry that she was leaving, but she tried to coax him out of it. “You know, I think I’ll miss you the most. I love you so much baby brother, remember I won’t be gone forever.” She went in to hug him but he stepped back, his scowl deepening. She frowned and sighed, but wouldn’t force him to hug her. It would only put him in a fouler mood. But she knew her baby brother, he’d break before she even left. 

Finally, she stepped towards her father who was trying his best to hold his tears back, but to no prevail. She leaped into his arms and held on for dear life as he lifted her from the ground, crushing her in an embrace. “May the old gods protect you and guide you where you need to be,” he whispered in her ear, “You’re mother would have been so proud, she IS proud of you. And I am too.” He set her down and cupped her cheeks, looking intently into her eyes. “He will make you happy, you may not see it just yet, but I do. That boy...he feels for you. And I can see that you do to. Give it time and let it grow, and it will feel so blissful when it does.” His voice wobbled as he finished. He kissed her forehead fiercely and ruffled her hair when he pulled back, making her giggle wetly. 

She stepped towards Envy and petted her nuzzle, the horse letting out a whinny. The Elrics had already said their goodbyes, leaving Evelyn’s for last. Hohenheim approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You know, it’s not too late to go back. I know that this was your decision.” He suggested softly. Evelyn looked back at her family, all of them in line and looking back at her. She’d miss them, so much, but this was for the good of the family. She must be strong for them, like her mother. “I won’t turn back now.” She concluded. Hohenheim smiled and nodded before turning. “Are we ready?” He called out to his family and bannermen. A chorus of ‘yes’s and ‘yes my lord!’s were emitted. “Let’s go then.” He called back. He turned and lifted Evelyn onto her horse before turning back and getting on his. He looked at his wife who nodded in return. He did the same for his children and Winry and Paninya. Once he was satisfied, he tapped his horse’s flank with his foot and the horse trotted forward, the others following suit. 

And on they went. 

Evelyn didn’t dare look back, lest she start crying again. She’d already had enough tears for one month. 

The family watched them go, not leaving until they’d reach the moors, disappearing from their sight. Salo and Giso held each other as they cried silently, Ferrer clenched and unclenched his fists and he willed him emotions, he had to stay strong for his family. Lorah, Gregory and Petyr all wore solemn expressions on their faces. 

Wren watched his big sister ride for at least 5 minutes, but he couldn’t take it anymore. His scowl withered and cracked as his face wobbled, big fat tears streaming down his face. He walked forward slowly before breaking out into a run. 

“Evey! Don’t go!” 

Evelyn whipped her head around at the sound of her baby brother’s voice and bid her horse to stop immediately. She almost fell trying to get off the horse but once she did, she ran towards Wren and enveloped the sobbing child in a bone crushing hug. 

“P-please don’ go! Not like mama! Please don’ go, don’ go!” On and on he babbled, sobbing into her chest and gripping the fabric of her riding clothes like a life line. Evelyn sobbed with him, but not as hard. She pushed him back and cupped his cheeks, looking at him with fiery determination. 

“I am NOT leaving like mama, I’m not going to die, you hear me? I’ll come back and visit, I swear it. I need you to be brave for papa and our siblings, I need you to protect them. Be kind to them, ok? They love you so much Wren, and I love you so, so much.” She hugged him again, sobbing into his shoulder. He hugged her back as tightly as his little arms would let him. 

“I love you Evey.” 

“I love you too Wren.”

They separated and she kissed his forehead, wiping his tears away. “Go on now, they’re waiting for you.” He nodded and turned around, running back to his family. 

“I love you!” She called out again. He turned his head and smiled, never stopping his run. 

Evelyn composed herself before getting on her horse again, albeit with some difficulty. Once she was settled, she nodded at Lord Elric. She tapped Envy’s flank and he trotted forward. 

And off they went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something to listen to during their goodbyes
> 
> https://youtu.be/fyY8H6KYIkw
> 
> Also these are the riding clothes
> 
> https://images.app.goo.gl/6buDTx5HgHnyYsP36


	8. The First Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

A fortnight has passed since Evelyn and the Elrics left Stonevale. Evelyn knew that the journey would be a long one, taking an entire moon’s turn, but she was starting to get impatient. She was solemn initially when she left her home, the thought of not seeing her family for years brought her a depression she had never known, but now she was practically bouncing on her saddle in excitement over the prospect of seeing Edward’s home. Because of the incident on her name day, things were quite tense between the two of them at first but as always, they were resolved quickly. When they weren’t riding, Ed would tell her in Xerxian about the wonders of his homeland, about the different foods and animals she would see, the music and traditions. It was all so exciting! She loved how he would speak with such enthusiasm about his homeland. This also gave her a chance to practice her Xerxian, which was improving day by day. It wouldn’t be long until she lost the accent entirely.

Fortunately today, they arrived at an inn just before the sun was starting to set. Evelyn was happy she was finally going to be sleeping in a real bed, at least for a night. She didn’t mind sleeping outside though, the stars in the northern sky shine the brightest than any other sky in Amestris, and they were beautiful to look at. She laughed whenever Elrics complained about the cold, especially Edward and Alphonse. They always stared in astonishment whenever Evelyn would wear her sleeveless nightgown, seemingly in awe in her inability to feel the cold. 

“I can practically hear your teeth chattering! You southerners are weak.” Evelyn looked smug seeing the two brothers shiver from the cold. 

“You know we’re more east than south right?” Edward deadpanned and Evelyn giggled, she thought that he looked like one of the cranky cats from the stables back home. 

“Yes yes, still south to us.” She waved her hand dismissively. 

“Tch, she can probably handle it because she’s cold blooded.” 

“Ed! How rude of you to insult your intended!” Alphonse exclaimed, feigning shock at his brother’s words. 

“If you three don’t shut up at this very second, I’ll skin you alive and wear your hide as blankets!” Winry yelled, flinging a rock at Edward’s head. They quieted immediately. 

Now they were unloading their horses and settling in the inn. The innkeeper was absolutely frazzled, not expecting the lords and ladies of House Elric to be at his establishment, but lord and lady Elric were patient and kind to him. They were given hot meals, good ale and the innkeeper earned more coin than what he bargained for. Evelyn looked at Hohenheim and Trisha from her side of the table, watching him tease and joke around with his wife while she held his arm in hers, looking at him with flushed cheeks and stars in her eyes. She remembered how her father was with her mother, always playfully sneaking a pinch at her rump when he walked passed her. “Ferrer! Might I remind you the majority of our children are boys! What example are you setting for them?” She’d admonish jokingly, secretly liking the game. She wondered if some day she and Ed would act like that, happy and in love. They already act like that, in a certain light. But she craved the other aspects too, things that they hadn’t indulged in yet. Suddenly, she felt the prickling feeling of someone’s stare and realized that Edward was looking at her. 

Maybe he was thinking the same? 

A clap interrupted her thoughts. “Alright! It’s getting late and we need to ride first thing on the morrow, everyone to bed.” Hohenheim said, getting up and playfully ruffling Edward and Alphonse’s head. 

The innkeeper led them to their rooms, all of which were in one hall way. It was convenient, that way Ser Maria and Ser Denny could guard the entrance throughout the night. 

“I’m terribly sorry, these are the best rooms we have.” The innkeeper babbled, fiddling with his hands.

“Nonsense, we’ll only be here for one night. Thank you for your hospitality.” Trisha said kindly, smiling softly and placing a gold coin in the innkeeper’s hand. He smiled and bowed, leaving the family to themselves. Everyone exchanged their ‘good nights’ and ‘sleep wells’ before entering their rooms. A small bath was drawn for Evelyn and she bathed, savoring the lukewarm water for a moment. She wouldn’t be having a bath like this for a long time. Once she was done and dried, she slipped into her white night gown and plopped her body on to the bed, feeling warm and happy for the first time in a few weeks. A few more weeks and she’d be arriving at Edward’s home, she couldn’t wait. 

She smiled before curling up in the warm sheets and falling into a deep sleep. 

Unbeknownst to her, the door was left unbarred. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He stayed hidden after everyone in the dining hall left to their rooms, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment. He’d been given strict instructions to not kill anyone else, only his target. He crept towards the two knights, making sure the wood didn’t creak against his weight. He crouched and aimed the two blow darts at the knight’s necks before firing, the darts sinking themselves in the exposed skin of their necks. The knights slumped and fell quickly, but he caught them before they could fall to the ground. He couldn’t risk waking anyone up. 

He made his way towards Lady Evelyn’s door, hoping that somehow she left it unbarred. He pushed and the door gave, slowing opening. He smirked when he saw her sleeping figure and stepped in, closing the door behind him. He unsheathed his dagger and made his way to the bed, straddling her and trapping her between his legs. It was a shame he couldn’t do anything else with her, if his lord found out that he had tried anything, he’d be flayed. He wouldn’t risk his skin for one girl’s virgin cunt, there were others. Maybe he’d be rewarded after the deed was done. 

His knee nudged Evelyn too hard it seemed, as she woke up with a start. Evelyn looked up at the intruder’s face before opening her mouth to scream. The man quickly covered her mouth with one hand while raising the dagger with the other. Evelyn kicked and flailed, knocking the dagger out of his hand whilst kicking him in the face. The man reeled back in pain before punching her face. Evelyn yelped when his fist made contact with her cheek and opened her mouth again to yell for help, but the man beat her to it again. He wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed hard, pinning her back to the bed. 

Evelyn kicked and punched at her attacker, jabbing her fingers in his eyes in an attempt to have him loosen his hold against her neck but he only squeezed tighter. She grasped his hands and tried to pry off his fingers but it was to no avail. Evelyn was strong, that was beyond dispute, but this man was larger than any man she’d seen. He was almost twice the size of father. He was too strong for her. Black dots were appearing in her vision and her eyes slowly rolled back, her face turning blue from the lack of oxygen. 

In that moment she saw her family. She saw Lorah’s teasing smiles and Petyr’s soft ones. She saw Gregory and father sparring and exchanging japes while Salo and Giso looked on, learning from their elders. She felt Wren’s warm and tight embrace. She smelled the crisp, clean scent of snow and pine trees, the rose water soap Lorah used for her hair, the sweet cakes she had on her name day. 

She saw Edward’s soft smile and golden eyes, and a future she would never know. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edward woke up with a start in the middle of the night. He could have sworn he heard a bump coming from another room. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, hoping it wasn’t his parents. He jumped when he heard the sound of someone getting hit and a yelp. His blood ran cold when he heard more bumps coming from the room. He quickly got out of bed and grabbed the dagger he kept on the night stand before rushing out of the room. He gasped quietly when he saw Ser Maria and Ser Denny slumped on the floor with darts sticking out of their necks but focused his gaze towards the door in front of him when he heard another bump. He saw that Evelyn’s door was slightly ajar and ran in. 

When he saw the huge, hulking figure straddling Evelyn’s small frame, choking her to death, Edward saw red. He didn’t know what came over him, but a feeling of pure, unadulterated rage surged through his body. A bloodlust he had never known flowed through his veins and his eyes shone like fire. As if someone had possessed his body, he stomped his way towards the unsuspecting attacker. He grabbed a fistful of the attacker’s hair and yanked his head back before dragging his blade hard across his throat, slitting it deeply and spraying blood on Evelyn’s face and body. 

Evelyn gasped for air when she felt the man’s hands slacken around her neck. Her vision returned to her as soon as she felt hot blood spray across her face and nightgown and screamed when she saw her assailant grab at his throat, letting out a gurgling scream as he choked on his own blood. She turned her fear stricken eyes towards her savior and gasped when she saw it was Edward. Edward with a bloodied knife in his hand, holding the man by the back of his head.

He killed him. 

Evelyn laid frozen as she gazed at Edward’s crazed eyes. He was breathing shakily, his bloodied hand grasping his dagger so hard that his fingertips were turning white. He still gripped the attacker’s hair as he jerked and choked before finally slacking. Edward threw his body off the bed with a ferocity that left Evelyn shaking. She was sure she heard his neck snap at the force. 

Hohenheim and Trisha ran into the room and Trisha screamed at seeing blood coating Evelyn’s body. “I’m alright! I’m alright!” Evelyn croaked, assuring her and raising her shaking hands. Hohenheim stepped towards the dead man’s body while Alphonse, Winry, Paninya and the innkeeper rushed into the room. Hohenheim turned towards the innkeeper, his face contorted in anger. 

“What is the meaning of this?!” 

“M-m’lord I swear to you by all the gods I-I did not know!” The innkeeper babbled, frightened that the kind man he saw earlier in the day was now fuming with rage. 

“Fuck your gods! She was almost killed!” Hohenhiem bellowed, making his way towards the cowering innkeeper before Trisha laid a hand in his arm, calming him. 

“Hohenheim enough!” She exclaimed. “No one could have known this would happen! You 3, go see to Maria and Denny now!” She ordered Winry, Paninya and Alphonse. The 3 nodded and rushed out of the room, hoping that the 2 knights were still alive. 

While the three adults fought and fussed over Evelyn, Edward dwelled in a haze. He couldn’t hear anyone around him, only the sound of his pounding heart and labored breathing. He stared down at his blood stained hands. ‘I killed someone...I ended their life and-....I relished in it, I made it last.’ He began to hyperventilate as he thought, remembering how even after he slit the assailant’s throat he yanked his bead back further, making sure that he choked on his blood. He felt the man’s life slipping away and he let himself feel it. ‘I’m a killer, a monster, a-‘ 

“Ed? Ed can you hear me?” 

He looked up at Evelyn’s face, the blood staining it standing out against her pale white skin. There was so much blood, it was almost as if she had bathed in it. He gazed into her purple eyes, eyes that would have been shut forever had he not arrived on time. Eyes that just a few moments ago, were rolled back in her head as she weakly fought her assailant. Evelyn slowly raised her hand towards his cheek in an attempt to calm him but he flinched violently and ran out of the room, making everyone stop the commotion. 

Trisha’s gaze followed Edward as he left but returned to the task on hand soon enough, making her way towards Evelyn’s bed. She cupped the girl’s cheeks with her hands and examined her for any injuries. She had a red mark on her cheek where the attacker punched her, it was already starting to bruise. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Trisha’s voice wavered and tears were threatening to spill down her face. She let the tears fall when she saw the bruises adorning Evelyn’s neck, dark red lines stretched around it like a necklace. “Your neck...” she said, lightly grazing her fingertips against the marks. Evelyn winced. Trisha grasped Evelyn’s hands and helped her off the bed, leading her to the folding screen and the washing area. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and changed.” 

Al, Winry and Paninya returned to the room. “Maria and Denny are alive, whatever was in those darts only seemed to render them unconscious. They’re waking up now.” Winry said to Hohenheim, he nodded and returned to his conversation with the innkeeper. 

“Are you certain you didn’t see anyone suspicious? No one at all?” 

“I’m certain, he must have snuck in somehow, I know it! I don’t recognize his face m’lord.” 

“...Alright, if you have any guards or soldiers, tell them to survey the area. Make sure no one is outside, am I clear?”

“At once m’lord!” The innkeeper bowed and rushed out of the room, shouting orders. 

Evelyn stepped out from behind the folding screen, cleaned up and changed into a lavender nightgown. She stood on shaky legs, still frightened after what just occurred. ‘Who wanted to kill me? He didn’t rape me, there must have been some motive.’ 

“Evelyn, come here.” Hohenheim beckoned her with a wave of his hand. She slowly made her way towards him aware of the fact he was standing next to the dead body. “I know you’re still shaken up, but I need to know. Do you recognize this man?” 

Evelyn turned towards the body and fought off the urge to vomit. The sight was horrible, the man’s throat was slit to he bone and his face was permanently etched in horror, muddy brown eyes staring at nothing. His neck was also at an odd angle, ‘He snapped his neck’ Evelyn thought, shuddering. She examined his features. He had shoulder length greasy black hair, pale skin and a strong jaw and nose. She narrowed her eyes at the clothes he was wearing. He wore no house colors, only black, but the specific types of clothes he wore made her worry. She’d only seen stitching and fabric like that in one place. The north. 

“I don’t recognize him, but I can tell he’s from the north.” 

“The north? But the northern houses are united!” Trisha exclaimed.

“Seems not.” Hohenheim muttered before turning to Paninya. “Send a raven to Stonevale and tell Ferrer what happened tonight. Someone from the north is out for his family.” He instructed and Paninya nodded. 

Evelyn finished tying her hair into a plait before strapping her dagger to her leg. “I’m going to find Edward.” She said out loud. 

“I cannot allow you to do that, it’s dangerous out there!” Hohenheim exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder and halting her before she could leave. 

“Then we’ll be safer together. He saved my life my lord, he needs me.” She pleaded. Hohenheim seemed conflicted and said nothing. “He couldn’t have gone far, there’s a lake next to the inn, he’s probably there. I have my dagger with me, I’ll be fine.” 

“Evey’s smart, she won’t get into any trouble.” Winry said. 

Hohenheim sighed. “Fine, but if you two aren’t back soon I’ll be looking for you myself.” 

Evelyn nodded and left the room. She was glad to see Maria and Denny awake and alive, albeit still groggy and not fully coherent. Once she was outside, she observed her surroundings. The only noises she heard was the wind rustling the trees and the water from the lake. Just as she said, she saw Edward crouched down in front of the lake. As she made her way towards him, she noticed that he was scrubbing his hands frantically and was still breathing in rapid bursts. She finally reached Edward, unbeknownst to him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he flinched, but didn’t stop scrubbing his hands which were now bleeding. She gasped when she saw his scraped knuckles. “Edward, Ed stop!” She grabbed his hands gently, not wanting to hurt him, and looked at him. His eyes were wide, still crazed but not holding the bloodlust they had before. He wasn’t looking at her either. She cupped his cheek with one hand and spoke to him softly. “Ed look at me, I’m alright. You need to breath, breath with me.” She took a deep breath and beckoned him to do the same. Soon enough he mimicked her and calmed down. 

Evelyn looked down at his hands and examined the welts and cuts he’d given himself. They were still shaking in her palms. She lightly rubbed her thumbs comfortingly over his knuckles, mindful of his self-inflicted injuries. She didn’t want to think what would have happened had he not arrived on time. Dying alone in a cold dark room with the last thing she’d ever see being that man’s ugly face. How did he ever know? Did he hear her yell? Was he already awake? She didn’t know, she was just glad it was over. 

It was terrifying, not the incident with the man, but it was how Edward...handled it that left her shaken. She almost didn’t recognize him in that moment. His eyes were wild and shone like raging fire as his face contorted with rage. The way he held the man’s head back as he slit his throat to the bone, making sure he felt every inch of his blade. The wet sound of the man’s neck snapping as Edward threw him off of the bed. It was all so horrible, so frightening and...whether she wanted to admit it or not, it was thrilling. He did the one thing he hated the most for her. He could have wrestled the man off of her and called for his father but no, he took matters into his own hands and gave him a gruesome death for ever daring touching her. It made her feel something...something she wouldn’t dare say because how could someone feel that way after watching a man die? It was certainly traumatic, but she couldn’t suppress the shivers that ran down her spine when she remembered Ed, kneeling on the bed with a bloodied knife in his hands, his molten pools of gold for eyes blazing with rage. She almost felt bad now, seeing him shaken and panicked wasn’t thrilling. 

The same hands that killed gave her the chance to live. He killed because he wanted her to live. Overcome with some emotion she couldn’t place, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his scraped knuckles, holding his hand tenderly as if it was made of porcelain. She turned his hand and kissed the palm of it, mindful of the scrapes there, and gave his other hand the same treatment. 

Before she could fully rise, Edward pulled her into a bone crushing embrace, cradling her head and resting his head in the crook of her neck. Evelyn embraced back just as fiercely, taking comfort in his embrace. “I almost lost you.” He said, his voice wavering as he swallowed his emotions. “When I saw him doing that to you...All I wanted to do was plunge my knife down his throat and watch him swallow it.” He ended with a snarl and Evelyn shivered again. ‘For God’s sake, focus!’ She yelled in her mind. Edward’s voice trembled again. “I hoped that I would have been able to live my life without ending someone else’s, I’m a monster.” Evelyn snapped out of her haze and pulled back, cupping his face and looking at him. “You’re not a monster and you could never be one. You were trying to protect me and I am so grateful for that. If it weren’t for you I’d...I’d be dead by now. You did what had to be done.” She ran her thumb across the skin under his eye. “You’re a good man Edward, don’t ever forget that. I never did, even after 5 years. Every letter we’ve ever exchanged proved it. You’re good and kind and smart and I-“ she stopped, looking for words to describe what she was feeling but found none. Her heart beat madly in her chest and her body felt warm. What could she say? Edward was staring at her, his eyes and hair glowing in the moonlight, like the sun. Even at night he still shined brightly like the sun. 

‘Fuck it’ she thought, submitting to the feelings that have been plaguing her the moment he arrived to Stonevale. She mustered up her northern courage, and pressed her lips against his, squeezing her eyes shut. 

Edward’s eyes were as wide as saucers and his face was on fire. The kiss was awkward, her nose was slightly scrunched against his and her face was tense. They were also sitting at an awkward angle. Edward relaxed and closed his eyes, shifting a bit and placing his hands on her bare shoulders, her skin cold from the chill. He pressed his lips against hers and rubbed her shoulders, beckoning her to relax under his touch. Evelyn relaxed and breathed a sigh, feeling as if her world had fallen into place perfectly. She rested her hands against his neck and felt the rapid flutter of his heart against her fingertips. ‘He’s nervous too’ she thought fondly. They separated for a moment before kissing again, their lips fitting together perfectly like 2 pieces in a puzzle. And on and on it went, never deepening. 

It wasn’t perfect. Edward’s lips weren’t butter soft or sweet like a prince’s lips were in a song. They were dry and cracked from sleeping. They weren’t kissing in a rose garden, or in an illustrious castle. They were outside in the frigid northern summer, next to a dingy inn. Evelyn didn’t smell like flowers and she wasn’t wearing a silk gown. The metallic pang of blood still clung to her skin and she was in her night dress. No fancy golden embroidery, just simple cotton to keep the cold out. They weren’t happy, at least not very happy. They were frightened, still shaken from the night’s events and were seeking comfort in one another. It wasn’t perfect at all. 

But they wouldn’t have it any other way. 

They separated after a few moments and rested their foreheads against each other, quelling their hearts to a steady beat. They stayed there for a moment, enjoying each other’s presence before Evelyn spoke softly. “We should go back, your father’s expecting us.” Ed made a soft ‘mmhmm’ before getting up, bringing Evelyn with him. He held her hand in his and looked at her. She was so beautiful, her cheeks were flushed and she casted her eyes downwards, not being able to meet his gaze. Her pale skin shined like moonbeams in the moonlight and her hair was as dark as ebony. He loved her so much, he would wait centuries for her if he could. All he wanted was to protect her and make her happy. Maybe this was a step in the right direction? 

They made it back to the inn hand in hand and were relieved to see Ser Maria and Ser Denny awake. They stood on shaky legs to address them. “Are you two alright? We heard what happened, a thousand pardons for not being able to save you Lady Evelyn, please forgive us.” Maria pleaded, leaning on a chair heavily as she tried to stand up straight. “You couldn’t have known, there’s nothing to forgive.” Edward said, and Evelyn nodded. 

Everyone had settled down while they were gone. The raven was written and already sent and the innkeeper reported that no one else was outside. Trisha spotted the two and tapped on her husband’s shoulder. 

“Finally, I was just about to look for you two. Are you alright?”

“Yes we’re fine my lord.” 

“Evelyn, come. You need your rest. Your room was cleaned out completely.” Trisha was about to take her hand before Edward spoke. 

“She’ll sleep with me.” 

Hohenheim sputtered and Trisha reprimanded him. “Ed, that’s not appropriate!” 

“It’s not like I’ll be doing anything to her! I wouldn’t want to be in my room if I almost got killed in it.” 

“Edward!” 

“It’s alright my lady, I don’t want to be in there. I trust Edward more than anyone.” 

Trisha and Hohenheim looked at each other for a moment, at a loss, before Trisha sighed in defeat and nodded. “Alright, go on. But I don’t want to hear anything!” Edward blushed a bright red and sputtered while Evelyn giggled, her spirits already lifted. 

They walked inside Ed’s room and closed the door, making sure to bar it just in case. Evelyn sat on the edge of the bed and twiddled her thumbs nervously. She’s never slept in a man’s bed before, her father’s didn’t count. Edward still stood next to the door, shifting his weight from left to right, a blush still adorning his cheeks. Evelyn smiled fondly at him and beckoned him with her hand. “Come on, I want to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.” She said, getting under the covers. Ed shuffled towards the bed and got under the covers with her. It was adorable, seeing Ed flustered at being so close to her, it gave her a sense of power. She giggled and shuffled closer to him, tucking herself under his chin and nosing the exposed slip of skin of his chest. She heard Ed gulp and suppressed a laugh, this was too easy. 

“Ñuha nēdenka qeldlie dārilaros, kessa ao mīsagon nyke bisa bantis?” (My brave golden prince, will you protect me this night?) She said quietly, lightly brushing her fingertips against his chest where his heart was. 

“A-ao gīmigon kesan.” (Y-you know I will) 

She let out an airy laugh. “Sȳz.” (Good.)

She could feel his heart thumping against his chest wildly, and his breaths were coming in quick. He was rendered helpless under her touch. She should stop, but it made her feel happy to see him like this. Just a moment ago he was fierce and brave, now at the mere brush of her fingers was he left wavering. She finished him off with the final blow. 

“Aōha prūmia iksis pyghagon sīr adere...” (your heart is beating so fast...)

“S-sȳrī, kessa.” (w-well, yes.)

“Ziry sȳz,” she said, before pressing her lips on his chest, right where his heart was beating and lingered there, making it long and sweet. She wanted him to feel revered. “Ñuhon iksis tolī.” (It’s ok, mine is too.) 

She began to drift off to sleep easily, content with being in Edward’s arms, while he was desperately trying to gather his bearings together. 

‘Poor thing.’ She thought amusingly, before succumbing to a deep and restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The thot plickens


	9. The Council of the North

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

Lorah hissed when she pricked her finger against the needle, her and Gregory jumping when a resounding ‘FUCK’ and crash echoed throughout the halls of the keep. The twins rushed out of the room, along with their other siblings, and made their way towards Ferrer’s quarters, wondering what caused the outburst.

“Father?” Petyr asked, concern written on his face. 

Ferrer whipped his head around, holding a small piece of parchment between his fingertips. His face held a fury the children had never seen before. “Evelyn was almost assassinated.” He bellowed, his face red with anger. “What?!” They all yelled with the exception of Salo, Giso and Wren, the elder sibling leading the youngest out of the room. This conversation was too dangerous for young ears, even for him. 

Lorah snatched the parchment from Ferrer’s hands and read out loud. 

‘Lord Ferrer,  
I regret to inform you that there was an assassination attempt against your daughter. Ser Denny and Maria were knocked unconscious but thanks to your old gods, they allowed her to live. She does not bear any life threatening wounds. The assailant was a northerner, a male with black hair, brown eyes, pale skin and a strong jaw and nose. Wearing tailored northern clothes. Her words, not mine. Tread carefully. 

Paninya Rockbell, Blacksmith and Stewardess of House Elric’ 

Lorah’s fist clenched around the paper, her teeth grinding at the thought of a bloody northerner laying his filthy hands on her sister. Everyone wore similar expressions, protective of their sister. “A northerner wearing tailored clothes...with a motive. Do you think one of the northern houses is behind this?” She asked to no one in particular.

“But how? All of the houses are united!” Gregory exclaimed.

“Someone has to be behind this, that man could have done anything else to her but he didn’t. There was a reason.” Lorah exclaimed back, emphasizing ‘anything’ to get her point across. Gregory and Petyr saw what she meant by this and held faces of disgust. 

“The houses aren’t as united as they seemed. Nonetheless we must tread with caution.” Petyr offered. 

“Caution?! Our little sister was almost killed!” Lorah yelled, the vein appearing on her forehead threatening to burst. 

“SILENCE!” Ferrer bellowed, and everyone promptly quieted. Ferrer paced around the room for some time, wringing his hands through his hair in frustration. The 3 siblings stood back, watching their father with worry stricken eyes. He muttered to himself before turning to his children. “I need you three to send ravens House Grand, Brandr and Armstrong. They’re all close enough, tell them I want them here on the morrow for a meeting. Tell them that this is of paramount importance, and that I expect them here no matter what. Understood?” He ordered, using his lord tone of voice instead of the soft fatherly one. A situation this dire didn’t call for soft words. 

“Yes Father.” The 3 said in unison, and rushed to write and send the ravens. 

‘Lord and Lady Armstrong,  
Your presence tomorrow at Stonevale is of paramount importance. There has been a threat against House Blackmyre and a threat against the unity in the north. Make haste, I am calling other houses together for this. 

Lord Ferrer Blackmyre.’ 

‘Lord Grand,  
Your presence tomorrow at Stonevale is of paramount importance. There has been a threat against House Blackmyre and a threat against the unity in the north. Make haste, I am calling other houses together for this. 

Lord Ferrer Blackmyre.’ 

‘Lord Brandr,  
Your presence tomorrow at Stonevale is of paramount importance. There has been a threat against House Blackmyre and a threat against the unity in the north. Make haste, I am calling other houses together for this.

Lord Ferrer Blackmyre.’

The ravens were sent, all they could do now was wait. The rest of the day was spent in tense silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘They should be arriving at any moment.’ Ferrer thought as he paced around the table. The servants had finished setting up some fruits to eat idly during the meeting, it would probably be long. 

“M’lord, would you like some wine?” One of them asked.

“No, thank you. This meeting will probably be a while and our heads must be clear.” As soon as he said that, the oak doors creaked open as Lord and Lady Armstrong walked in, along with Lord Grand, Brandr and-

Kimblee. 

“Get the wine.” He deadpanned. He didn’t expect Lord Kimblee to be here, and he certainly didn’t ask for him to be here. 

The lords and lady took their seats at the table as wine was being poured into goblets. Ferrer took a hearty sip of wine, the bitter liquid trickling down his throat, before speaking. 

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice, I wouldn’t have done so if it wasn’t important.” Ferrer said to the Lords and Lady of the north. They all sat in the council chambers, Lord and Lady Armstrong to the right and Lord Brandr, Grand and Kimblee to the left. Ferrer wasn’t exactly pleased to see Lord Kimblee’s weasel-like face at his table, especially after what he had done to his daughter. An insult to his children was a direct insult towards him. 

“Lord Brandr, might I inquire why you brought Lord Kimblee with you? I don’t seem to recall asking for him in the letter.” Ferrer asked in a seemingly polite voice, his expression showed his real intentions however. 

“You didn’t, my lord. But I thought that this would be a good experience for newly appointed lord.” 

“A lord that insulted my family, my daughter to be specific.”

“Your daughter should have been grateful, it’s not everyday that a lady is matched with a high lord.” 

“A bastard who was recently legitimized you mean?” Ferrer deadpanned and Lord Brandr sputtered, a vein on his head throbbed as he seethed with anger. The chair screeched as he pushed himself up to stand while Ferrer stayed seated, looking up at him with an uninterested face. 

“You dare insult my son to my-“

“My lords, if we can please get back to the task on hand?” Lady Armstrong spoke up, her voice overpowering that of the 2 lords. Lord Brandr huffed and sat down while Ferrer smirked to himself. He enjoyed the petty squabble while it lasted. The Lady Armstrong was right however, this wasn’t time to dilly dally. 

“My apologies my lady, I hope I didn’t mean any offense.” 

“None taken.” She replied cooly, she didn’t like Kimblee either. 

Ferrer nodded and wiped the smirk off his face, his mouth set in a bitter line. He looked down at his intertwined hands. “My lords, my lady, it seems we have a traitor,” he looked up at them, schooling them with his gaze as if he could find any signs of treason, “in our midst. Someone tried to murder my daughter.” 

“The Lady Lorah?” Asked Lord Armstrong.

“No, it was Evelyn. They were in an inn down south when it happened.” 

“We’re Ser Denny and Ser Maria not protecting her?” Lady Armstrong asked, her tone took on a slight hiss at the end. Lady Armstrong was a fierce and stoic woman, but she cared for Evelyn deeply. She came to Stonevale a few years ago and trained Evelyn for months with swords and daggers. She was her brightest student and she always looked upon her with pride. 

“They were unconscious at the scene. I don’t know all of the details I’m afraid, but Paninya Rockbell wouldn’t lie to me.” 

“Why do you believe that there is a traitor in the north?” Kimblee inquired.

“Evelyn claims that her attacker is a northerner. Black hair and brown eyes, with a strong jaw and nose. She also said that the man was wearing expensive northern clothing, probably tailored.” 

“A man’s features doesn’t reveal anything. Forgive me my lord, but can you really trust her word?” 

“My daughter wouldn’t lie to me Lord Grand.” 

“I wouldn’t say that she was lying to you, but Evelyn is a child.” Lord Brandr offered, trying to remain neutral.

“She’s 17.” Ferrer rebutted, but Lord Brandr continued. 

“And she was just attacked. Did the letter say how?” 

“It did not.” 

“Well either way, she must have had quite the fright. Maybe she wasn’t coherent?” He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders slightly, making a jest. “You know how women get during these types of situations.” 

“No, I’m afraid I don’t, might you inquire me?” Ferrer said, his voice calm and cool but laced with venom. His gaze pierced lord Brandr and shook him to the core, his once smiling face withering down to one of nervousness. His joking demeanor vanished rather quickly. 

Kimblee stood up straighter in his seat. “My lord, if I may-“

“No you may not.” 

He slumped back into his chair with a soft huff.

“Evelyn is smart, she wouldn’t tell us something this important if she didn’t think it was right. I believe her.” Lady Armstrong said, defending her lady’s honor.

“You sound as if you know her.” Lord Grand said.

“She trained with me for months. She’s a skilled fighter, almost as good as me. In that amount of time I knew the type of person she was. She can read people easily and can remember faces. She knows the man is a northerner.” She inquired, before looking at Ferrer. “There is a traitor in our midst, not sure if it’s one of us or someone in our houses. Nonetheless we’ll treat it with importance. Your family is the reason why the northern families are of any importance. We’ll find out who’s behind this. In the meantime, keep us updated.” She finished, looking at the other 3 lords pointedly. 

“Will do.” Ferrer said and took another large sip of wine. He dreaded the end of the meeting. While the Lords and Lady did live fairly close, they still traveled a long way and sending them back so quickly was harsh. But he couldn’t stand the thought of Kimblee being in the keep for a night. He’d rip the man’s hands off if he tried to lay them on his daughter. 

“Now that we have this out of the way, the guest rooms have been set up for you. You may stay for the night if you wish.” 

“We thank you for your hospitality Lord Ferrer.” Lord Armstrong said. 

“Your welcome.” Ferrer said, sending a look of warning towards Kimblee. He seemed to heed it. He stood up and the others followed him, bowing as he promptly left the room. He had to let Lorah know about Kimblee’s unwanted visit. 

‘Gods give me strength.’ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kimblee laid awake on his bed, staring at the canopy in deep thought. Weslar underestimated the situation, the dumb fool. Such a shame he had to die though, he was one of his strongest fighters, perhaps what he lacked in brains made up for his strength and stature. Did Lady Evelyn manage to kill him? Or someone else?

‘Doesn’t matter now.’ He thought.

Striking again so soon was a dangerous game, he had to play with caution. 

Kimblee smirked, his teeth glinting in the dark. He’d get rid of them one by one, and they’ll all drop like flies. 

There would be a new leader in the north.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kimblee’s a rat
> 
> Also can you tell where Evelyn gets her attitude from?


	10. Xerxes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

A few weeks had passed since they left the inn. Ever since the incident, Lord Elric forced his men and family to ride harder and faster towards the Desert Sea. He wouldn’t take any chances of his future daughter in-law being murdered. Evelyn understood and was more than happy to comply. But as temperatures began to rise the closer they got to Xerxes, the more unbearable it was to ride under the scorching sun. Edward took great pleasure in teasing her, Evelyn receiving the same taunting she had given him up north. 

“Ao jelmor idañe issi nākostōbā, daor gūrogon se bāneves?” (You northern folk are weak, can’t take the heat?)

“Qogralbar ao se aōha bāne rizmun.” (Fuck you and your blistering desert.) 

The Elrics and the Rockbells took on the heat as if it was nothing, not complaining at all. Evelyn saved her complaining until they settled down to camp, venting to Ed about how much sand must have been up her arse. Thank the gods she wasn’t sharing a tent, she had taken off her nightgown the first time they camped to sleep naked and had been doing so for the past few days. At one point, the entire camp woke up because Ed had tried to visit her at night. An innocent reason, he couldn’t sleep and all he wanted was some company. He lifted the fold of the tent and stepped in quietly. She was laying on her stomach, her mouth open and snoring lightly. The sight was comical and he chuckled under his breath. He stopped before he reached her. Should he wake her up? He had done so before when they were kids, they were never able to stay in one place, not even while sleeping. She always welcomed him without a problem, so why was he feeling nervous now? Was it because her feelings for him had changed? Maybe she wouldn’t let him in.

Edward’s train of thought halted when he heard her stir and flip on to her back. It took everything Ed had not to yell. 

The sheets were covering the majority of he chest, but he wasn’t stupid. Almost the entirety of her left breast was bared to him, her skin perfectly matching the creamy white of the sheets. Edward’s face turned a dark red as he sputtered. ‘Is she naked?! Why is she naked?!’ He began to back out of the tent quietly but failed when he tripped over a raised part of the carpet, tumbling to the floor and yelping loudly. Evelyn’s eyes shot open and she sat up, whipping her head around the tent to find the intruder. Whatever gods she believed in must have been coming to her aid, shielding her bare chest with her long black hair. It did relatively nothing to protect her modesty though and Ed got an eyeful, his already dark red face deepening in color. Her purple eyes landed on Ed’s gold ones and she shrieked, pulling her real dagger out from under her pillow and flinging it towards him. Her aim was precise however, and she made sure it didn’t hit him, only to scare him. Edward let out a scream and dogged the dagger, rushing out of the tent. When he was finally outside he saw the bannermen armed with spears and daggers, ready to fend off the enemy. Alphonse rushed out of his tent with a spear in hand, his face looking panicked for a moment before his eyes landed on Edward’s blushing face. Outside of Evelyn’s tent. He looked at his brother exasperatedly, as if saying ‘are you serious?’ 

Hohenheim, Trisha and Ser Denny and Ser Maria rushed to him, Hohenheim going faster than the others, his face set in that of anger. Edward cowered when they reached him. 

“What is the meaning of this?! My men tell me they heard the Lady Evelyn scream and here you are, outside of her tent looking like a child who got caught stealing out of the sweets jar! Explain yourself!” 

While Ed sputtered, trying to come up with some coherent explanation, Evelyn emerged from her tent wearing one of her thick night gowns and a bright red blush on her face. 

“There you are, explain what happened Evelyn.” 

“He was inside my tent.” 

Ed sputtered again, not expecting her to fling the blame so quickly at him. 

“And why did you scream?”

“...I was indecent.”

“We’ve all seen you in a night gown before, that’s not indecent. Tell us the truth.”

Her face turned a darker shade of red and averted her eyes from Hohenheim to Edward, looking at him almost accusingly.

“I was naked.” 

“W-well how was I supposed to know?! You weren’t naked the other times I did!” 

“You WHAT?!” Hohenheim bellowed, looking back and forth between the two. 

Trisha placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him. “Evelyn, why were you sleeping naked?”

“It’s too hot! My nightgown is too thick and I didn’t have any others!” 

Hohenheim looked confused. “No others? You have a trunk full of-“ he stopped for a moment and turned to his wife who was now sporting a comical look of guilt. 

“My love, did you forget to give her the trunk?” 

Trisha only gave him a sheepishly sweet smile and he sighed, facepalming. He turned to his bannermen, some of which who were snickering. “Alright, back to your tents! Nothing to see here!” The men bowed their heads and scurried along. Hohenheim turned back to the blushing teenagers. “You two, back to your respective tents. I’ll have Maria get the trunk.” Ed and Evelyn bowed their heads sheepishly. 

“Yes Father.”

“Yes my lord.”

Hohenheim and Trisha began to walk back to their tents before he turned around. “Other times?” He called out exasperatedly before Trisha led him away again, giggling under her breath. Edward turned towards Evelyn and tried to muster an apology but beat him by smacking him upside the head. “Hey!” He yelped but Evelyn didn’t reply. She ‘hmph’ed and turned away, stomping back in her tent in a very unladylike fashion. Alphonse smirked and walked up to Ed, looking like a cat. 

“You know, if you just wanted some company you could have come to my tent.” 

“Hey! You don’t know what kind of ‘company’ I could have been looking for!”

“Ed, you have the courage of a kitchen mouse, I knew it wasn’t ‘that’. Besides, you have more honor than that. Although, I would certainly love to hear about the ‘other times’ you’ve been in her room. How ~scandalous~ brother.” He smirked playfully as he teased him. Ed pouted like a child and turned around, muttering something along the lines of ‘I’m going to see them at some point anyway.’ as he went back to his tent and Alphonse laughing the entire time. 

That was last week, now the family stood at the gates of Xerxes, excited to finally be home after the long journey. Evelyn was bouncing on Envy’s saddle in excitement, the horse huffing in annoyance. She was already entranced by the beauty of Ed’s home, and she wasn’t even in it yet! The entrance to the city was 2 marble statues of women holding a sun with an alchemical circle. The craftsmanship was extraordinary, the robes the women were wearing looked like real cloth, as if they would blow in the wind if they were caught by a gust of air. The sun itself was golden with the alchemical circle and writings etched into the metal. Ed watched as she stared at the statues in awe and rode up to her. 

“Vaesa and Haesa, they were the ones who built Xerxes and became it’s first rulers, thousands of years ago.” He explained with pride. 

“They built all of this? By themselves?”

“Oh of course not, they had the help of their people. The sisters were strong warriors, daughters of a nobleman. When their father died, other cities took advantage of their vulnerability and attacked them, almost sacking their city. They survived however and with their people they came here. With enough support and people who could fight, they attacked the cities that almost destroyed them. None of them ever came back. Our city rightfully earned its name, Xerxes means “warrior”. 

Evelyn continued to stare in wonder until Hohenheim called out to her, stopping a few feet behind the gate. “Evelyn! Get off your horse and get on Ed’s.” Hohenheim was smiling as well as his wife and the rest of the family. Edward on the other hand, was blushing profusely. 

Evelyn got off her horse, confusion etched on her face. She looked up warily at Ed as he helped her on his horse. “What’s going on?” She asked him. Before he could answer however, Trisha cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling at the top of her lungs. 

“RING THE BELLS!” 

The bannermen and the rest of the family, save for Hohenheim, echoed Trisha’s call. The chorus of cheers and calls caught the attention of someone situated on the walls of the gates. Several others appeared and began scurrying, shouting orders that Evelyn could faintly hear. Suddenly, a bell rang loudly and others followed, the shouts and cheers being swallowed by the loud ringing. Evelyn turned towards the family, her face slightly panicked before Hohenheim laughed and yelled to her. 

“It’s tradition for a Lord to ride to the castle with his bride to be!” 

As if on cue, the gates opened. Behind them were the cheering citizens of Xerxes, leaving the center of the road empty for Ed’s horse to go through. Evelyn turned to Ed, watching as he stared at the crowd with uncertainty. She wrapped her arms around Ed’s waist and squeezed comfortingly, resting her chin on his shoulder. He turned towards her and she smiled softly. “Our people are waiting.” She said teasingly, emphasizing the ‘our’ in the sentence. She placed her hand his, the one that was clenched around the reins and smoothed her thumb over his knuckles. Just like she did back at the inn. After a moment Ed smiled lightly at her and turned towards his mother and father. 

“Go on!”

“Go!”

Edward turned back towards the crowd and put on a determined face. He can’t cower in the face of his people. “Hold on tight!” He called to Evelyn before letting out a ‘hyah!’, bidding the horse to gallop through the gates. Evelyn held on tight and looked around. The people were cheering, throwing flower petals and rice at them. Some of them were on the ground while others cheered through windows. The foreign scents of the south flooded her nostrils as they rode through the streets. She recognized some of them resembling Edward’s. She smelled the earthy scent of sand, the different scents of spices and incense. She saw people dressed in beautiful colored fabrics and strange animals she had never seen before. One of them looked like a horse but with a raised hump on its back. She heard the people chanting his name, but it sounded odd. The way that they were pronouncing it was different than how she’s heard it all her life. 

“Aedward! Aedward!” 

She supposed she should ask him later. She waved timidly at a group of children and they cheered loudly, giggling at seeing the pretty lady. Evelyn saw the eyes of her people, their varying golden hues glittering against the sun. She saw their faces, their smiles wide and cheeks flushed with glee. As she neared the castle she grew in confidence and fully raised her hand, waving back at them. She laughed happily as the wind swept through her air, as she heard her people shouting her name. Welcoming her to her new home. 

She felt as if she was flying. 

Before she knew it, they were in front of the gates that separated the castle from the rest of Xerxes. Soldiers clad in painted armor stood guard in a line to make sure that the people didn’t venture past the gates. Ed bid his horse to stop and waiting for the rest of his family to ride in, the sounds of the horses approaching drowned out by the crowd. Once they arrived, the soldiers began to shout orders and bid the people to stand back. They pulled the thick oak doors open and Evelyn gasped. The gates opened to the outer yard of the most glorious castle she had ever seen, but also very predictable. Xerxes has always valued science, alchemy the most. The castle was built to look like an alchemical circle, six towers in a hexagon shape with the main fortress in the middle. The castle was built of a pale cream stone, the golden domes on top of the towers glittering and reaching high into the sky. 

“Bisa iksis aōha lenton...” (This is your home...) she said in astonishment and Ed huffed an amused laugh. He turned his head to look at her and his amused smile softened. Her eyes were wide, glittering with curiosity and wonder as she stared at the fortress. He tapped her thigh to get her attention and she blinked, looking at him.

“Īlva lenton sir.” (Our home now.) 

Evelyn let a small smile grace her lips at the thought of it, this beautiful place being her home. She was about to reply when a voice yelled in back of them. 

“If the two lovebirds could please get a move on! I would like to take a bath!” 

Said lovebirds turned around to see Alphonse looking at them impatiently while the rest of the family smirked playfully. Evelyn giggled joyfully while Ed’s irritated face reddened. He rolled his eyes and bid his horse to trot into the outer yard, the rest of his family following him. 

Once everyone was on the other side, the guards closed the gate and the sounds of the cheering citizens faded away. Evelyn got off Ed’s horse and walked forwards in a daze. She looked up in awe when she spotted beautifully colored birds soaring through the sky. It seemed that every existing color was inked into their feathers. 

This was the beginning of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone’s attacking Ed while he’s just trying to vibe


	11. The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

It was the day after the family had arrived to Xerxes and Evelyn was indulging in a few extra hours of sleep. It was already well into the night when everyone settled into their quarters and Evelyn all but collapsed on her bed, instantly falling asleep. It was a fitful sleep however. She was repeatedly jolted awake at the sensation of her falling, her heart racing every time it happened. She considered going to a maester after a while for some essence of nightshade, but she didn’t know her way around the castle yet. She could have sworn that at some point, she heard a loud booming noise every time she would hit the ground in her dreams. 

It was almost the afternoon and Evelyn was still sleeping, her face smushed against the pillow with drool trickling from her mouth. She had kicked the sheets off the bed at some point, still not used to the heat of the south. Suddenly, loud rapid knocks shook Evelyn awake and she groaned. She knew exactly who was at the door. She rubbed her eye and crawled out of bed, muttering an ‘I’m coming, I’m coming’ as she made her way to the door. She unbarred the door and found Edward on the other side, his shit eating grin wavering as he sputtered, his face turning red and lifting his head towards the ceiling.

“W-what the hell?!” 

Evelyn, still to tired to comprehend his outburst, answered in a monotone voice. 

“What?” 

“Why did you answer the door like that?”

Evelyn looked down at her night gown. It was a light pink color that ended at her calves. She didn’t see any problem with it. Sure, it was exposed at the back and the fabric was thin, but it wasn’t as if the fabric was see through. 

“You’ve seen me in my night gown.” 

“That’s not a night gown it’s...it’s like undergarments.” 

Oh. Now Evelyn was awake. She looked up at him and smirked mischievously. 

“And how do YOU know that these are undergarments? Have you seen women in them?” 

“Wha-no! I just know.” 

“Oh because you’re so smart right? Any brothels I don’t know about?” 

Decency be damned. He shifted his eyes from the ceiling to Evelyn, challenging her with gaze. 

“Why Evelyn, are you jealous? Worried that I’ve been with other girls?” He smirked cheekily at her, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I’m not jealous.” 

“You know, I can tell when you lie. It’s quite simple really, your voice gets low and muttery.” He teased her, mimicking her voice at the end. Evelyn beat her fists against his chest but with no real force, just to tease him. Ed laughed and grabbed her wrists. He was reminded of her state of dress and blushed a little.

“Get dressed. It’s almost the afternoon and I want to show you around. I’ll get one of the handmaidens to draw you a bath.” 

Evelyn sighed, feigning disinterest. “I suppose.” She said and turned around, walking towards her wardrobe, looking for the lavender dress she had seen earlier. Ed’s blush darkened when he saw her bare back. Most of it was exposed, save for the slip of fabric hanging down the middle, but he could see her pale defined back muscles. The nightgown was cut low enough where he could even see her back dimples. Even though she had just woken up and her hair was tussled from sleep, she looked like a fairy, padding softly around the room barefoot looking for trinkets or in this case, what to wear. Evelyn seemed to feel him staring. 

“Well are you just going to stand there or will you get the handmaidens?” 

Ed’s blush darkened again and he stuttered. “Y-yes I’ll just-“ he never finished, opting to make a hasty retreat. Evelyn giggled and shook her head. She wasn’t jealous, not at all, that was part of her little game. 

She knew Edward was hers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, Edward was leading Evelyn through the gardens of the castle. The variety of flora in the gardens astonished her, she had never seen such vibrant colors. The north favored its dark, sturdy pine trees and snowy mountains, hardly the environment for flowers. Both were beautiful in her eyes. There were other lords and ladies in the gardens as well, chatting amongst themselves and occasionally bowing to Ed when they passed by. While Evelyn was trying to focus on the scenery, Ed had other things in mind. Such as bullying any lord that passed by. 

“That’s lord Yoki, he’s here on orders from his grace King Bastard-“ 

“Ed! There could be spies here!” 

“Well they can send their whispers to the king for all I care, anyway, he’s here to deal with the crown’s finances. A money lender and a whoremonger, that one.” 

“Shh! Here he comes!”

It was hard for Evelyn to contain her giggled as lord Yoki passed by, bowing to Ed and speaking his gilded pleasantries. He congratulated Ed on finding a wife and complimented Evelyn’s beauty. Ed gave him a fake smile and indulged him for a moment before bidding him farewell and returning to their walk. Once he turned around he dramatically rolled his eyes and Evelyn snorted, muttering ‘you’re so mean.’ 

Soon enough they finished their walk in the gardens and headed towards the towers. The gardens were towards the left side of the castle, along with the Tower of the Family, the Tower of Craftsmanship and the Kitchen Tower. Towards the right was the training yard along with the Tower of Knights, the Tower of the Maester, and the Tower of Alchemy. Traversing through each tower was brief, it would have taken a long time to go through every floor, but walking along the walls connecting each tower gave Evelyn an excellent view of Xerxes. She could see beyond the little stone houses and out to the Desert Sea. She was almost blinded by the glint of the sun bouncing off of the golden domes of the towers, it was all so very grand. Winry and Paninya were in the Tower of Craftsmanship, working on spears and armory and Alphonse was in the Tower of Alchemy, reading from scrolls and learning from his teacher Izumi. 

They then made their way to the Hall of Lords where the ancient seat of House Elric was situated. The chair was beautiful, with its painted golden designs and the carved Flamel on the back. The walls of the room depicted the story of the two sisters who took this land as their own and destroyed those who tried to conquer them, their sins being paid in bloodshed. The room held a sense of power, all the more fitting for lady Elric. She was an only child and therefore, inherited the land and it’s profits. Her father had offered many lords her hand but she refused them all, finding them pompous and greedy for pursuing her title. She soon fell in love with one of the servants of the castle, a man trained in alchemy and arms, worthy of her hand. Yes, Hohenheim was the lord of the castle, but he left all of the diplomatic affairs with his lady. She truly held all the power. 

“It’s so big.” Evelyn said, her voice bouncing off the walls. 

“It’s great, isn’t it? If it’s empty like it is today, I like to come in here and just sit on the chair.” He said and made his way towards the chair, his childlike giddiness making Evelyn giggle. He sat on it and shimmied, fixing his posture to resemble that of a proper lord. “I mostly come in here to study though.” 

“You love your alchemy don’t you?” 

“Shut up.” 

She giggled again. 

“You know, one day I’ll sit here, with you and Alphonse by my side. He’s more capable of politics and you’re really good at intimidating people.” 

“Is that the only reason you want us with you?” She teased.

“Yup.” He teased back, popping the ‘p’. 

She snorted in amusement before walking towards one of the walls, tracing her fingertips along the artwork. It was a gruesome battle that depicted soldiers fighting and being mutilated, bright red blood staining the ground. Ed watched her for a moment before speaking. This time he spoke in Xerxian, testing her proficiency in the language. 

“Ao vestretan hen skori nyke ēlī ūndan ao tubī, kostagon ao ivestragon nyke skoro syt?” (You seemed off when I first saw you today, can you tell me why?) 

“Nyke gōntan daor ēdrū sȳrī...” (I did not sleep well...” 

“...Se?” (...And?)

“Issa...” She said, struggling to formulate her words. “Gaomagon ao gīmigon bona run skori ao ropagon isse aōha ēdrugon? ziry massitas sīr naenie jēdi...rȳ jēdi nyke pendagon nyke ryptan iā *boom!*”  
(It’s...do you know that feeling when you fall in your sleep? It happened so many times...at times I thought I heard a boom!) 

Ed’s eyebrows furrowed when he heard this, it was a common thing to feel like falling, but to hear booming sounds? That was concerning. 

“I can ask Pinako to give you essence of nightshade to help you sleep?” He said softly, breaking out of his Xerxian. Evelyn smiled, he was always so concerned of others. “Thank you.” She replied. She went back to looking at the artwork while Ed fiddled with the arms of the chair, thinking for a moment. He bit down his hesitation and got up, the chair screeching slightly as he moved back. He made his way towards her and held her hand. 

“Come on, there’s one more place I want to show you, but we have to ride there.” 

“It’s not in the castle?” 

“No. It’s not that far, don’t worry.” 

The two made their way out of the Hall of Lords and to the outer yard. The two mounted their horses and Ed led the way. Ed chose a more discreet path to the Sept, a street wide enough for the two horses to trot through. Once they rounded a corner, Evelyn saw a building that resembled that of the towers in the castle. It was wider and not as long, with a large golden dome. The building was elevated, a long column of stairs leading towards it. They settled next to a wooden pole and tied their horses’ reins. Once they were up the stairs, Ed whispered to her. 

“You have to be quiet here.” 

The walked through the door that was left ajar and Evelyn stood there for a moment, taking it in. The building smelled faintly of incense and burning candles. It was also very quiet, but it didn’t unnerve Evelyn. It was almost peaceful, the deafening silence washing over her like a wave. She saw several people walking around, lighting candles against pillars and talking softly amongst themselves. She turned to Ed and spoke softly.

“What is this place?” 

“The Sept of Phyrosha. She used to be a noblewoman here, loved and respected by all. A lord came here from some place in Amestris, I’m not really sure, but he fell in love with her and built this sept for her. The thing is, she didn’t worship any gods, and this sept was a place of worship for the lord’s god. He was trying to convince her to convert. She didn’t accept his offer and he locked her away in a cell here. No one knew where she was until years later.” He said, his voice bitter at the thought of what had happened to her. He lead her down the stairs to the ground floor of the sept and continued. 

“My grandfather heard about this story and tore down the statues of the gods that were once here. Now this place is named in her honor, and people come here to bury and mourn their dead. I’ve heard that sometimes, a baby is born here too and-“ he stopped and grimaced, almost looking like he regretted his decision in bringing her here. The blush adorning his cheeks showed the opposite however. 

“Ed?” 

“...this is where we’re getting married, all Elric weddings happen here.” 

Evelyn stared at Ed for a moment, her eyes wide and lips parted before looking towards the alter. She looked back at Ed and smiled, giggling and making her way up to the alter with a spring in her step. Ed watched her with an amused smile as she played around, twirling and admiring the view from above. The platform where the alter is was a couple of steps high from the ground, allowing Evelyn a perfect view of the rest of the sept. She stopped when she caught him smiling fondly at her and blushed, giggling again and bringing her arms behind her back. He made his way up some of the stairs and stopped. 

“Would you like to see some of the graves?” 

Evelyn nodded her head enthusiastically and walked down, taking Ed’s hand as they met half way. 

The rest of the day was spent with teasing shoves and laughter as they explored. As she walked through the crypts under the sept, listening to Ed talk about the ancient lords and ladies buried here, she found it harder to not fall in love with him. 

‘In fact,’ she thought to herself, smiling cutely and her nose scrunching at something he said, ‘it’s quite easy.’ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back in Stonevale, Lord Ferrer sat in his chambers with his head in his hands, deep in thought. Scattered on his desk were various raven scrolls he had received from the Elrics over the last few weeks, all of them containing news on the progress of the journey...and Evelyn’s saftey. There had been no new reports of any attacks towards his daughter, and for that he was grateful. But with every raven he received, the wringing anxiety he felt in his stomach intensified. He prayed day and night for the gods to protect her, to shield her from her enemies. He prayed for the Elric family as well, even though they didn’t worship any gods. 

Ferrer exchanged raven scrolls with houses Armstrong, Brandr and Grand, all reporting no signs of treachery within their keeps. Most of the exchange was with house Brandr, a matter he hadn’t had the chance to discuss with his children. Petyr specifically. 

Because of the severed ties between the northern houses, lord Brandr suggested to strengthen them through marriage. Ferrer worried he meant trying to arrange Lorah and Kimblee again, but was surprised to see lord Brandr offering him his daughter, a maiden of 18. It was a good idea, he had to hand it to the old man, but Ferrer detested the thought of risking his son’s happiness. No matter how important the family legacy was to him, his children’s well-being always came first. Petyr, much like Evelyn, cared about his family more than anything. Evelyn risked her happiness, although according to Lorah, she was doing just fine. He knew Petyr would do the same, given the circumstances. 

Finally coming to a decision, he got up from his chair and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Ser Bradley standing dutifully at his post. 

“My lord?” He regarded him with an inclination of his head. 

“Ser Bradley, bring Petyr to my chambers please.” 

“At once.” He bowed again and left, the sound of his armor clanking echoing in the stone hallways. Ferrer left the door open a bit and sat back in his chair, fiddling with a wax seal stamp on his desk. In a few moments, he heard Ser Bradley’s armor clanking along with Petyr’s footsteps as they neared the room. Once they entered, Ferrer stood up. 

“Thank you Ser, that will be all.” 

The knight bowed to Ferrer and Petyr and left the room, closing the door behind him. He beckoned Petyr to sit. 

“You wanted to speak with me?” 

Ferrer fidgeted in his seat and pursed his lips, here goes nothing. “Yes, I did. I’ve been exchanging letters with lord Brandr and...we’ve been discussing arranging a marriage between you and his daughter, the lady Lyla.” 

Petyr casted his eyes downwards as he regarded his father’s words. 

“...I see.”

“You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was necessary, especially after what happened with Lorah. But Petyr,” he leaned forward, the creaking of his chair causing Petyr to look up. He maintained eye contact as he spoke. “Our alliances with the northern houses are vital, now more so than ever. I can’t risk Evelyn’s life...not again.” 

“I understand father.” 

Ferrer slumped in his chair and began fidgeting again, his once serious composure crumbling. 

“I’m not saying you have to-“ 

“But you want me to.” Petyr said, adorning a somewhat playful smile at Ferrer’s fidgeting. His father was always so strong and serious in front of other lords but in the face of his children, his walls were knocked down to reveal what laid beneath. 

Ferrer sighed. “Yes.” 

“Alright, I’ll do it. She seems like a nice girl, at least I don’t have to leave home...right?” 

Ferrer chuckled at this. “No no, you’ll stay here...thank you for this Petyr, I appreciate it.” 

“Family first, as you always say.” 

“Yes, family first. I’ll write back to lord Brandr, you go tell the rest of your siblings.” 

Petyr nodded, standing up and leaving the room. He exhaled as he made his way to Lorah’s room, knowing full well that Gregory was probably in there annoying her. He entered the room without knocking and Lorah looked up from the book she was reading, Gregory pausing mid-drink with the cup still at his lips. 

“Well, I’m getting married.” 

Lorah slammed her book shut as Gregory spat out his drink. 

At least it was water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, idk why I found this chapter so difficult to write.
> 
> Also, Bradley’s a knight!


	12. The Old Gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated! :3

It was well into the night when Evelyn began writhing in her sleep. Sweat stuck to her hair and thin nightgown as she tried to fight off the night terrors, but it was futile...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evelyn’s widened eyes swept through the dark room. Other than the light that illuminated Evelyn’s form, there was no other source. She wasn’t even sure if the room she was standing in was a room, as her voiced echoed endlessly whenever she spoke. It was cold and her thin nightgown did next to nothing to protect her from the chill. Evelyn was used to the cold, being a child of the north, but this was torture. She felt her fingers and toes going numb and curled them in an attempt to provide warmth. She rubbed her arms and looked around, trying to find a door or some form of escape. 

‘It’s so dark...and I can’t hear anything. Not even a gust of wind...what is this place?’ 

She began to take hesitant steps forward, wandering aimlessly through the void. The only sounds she heard were her own shuddering breaths and footsteps. She continued for a moment before she stepped on something that made a squelching sound. She froze. A warm, sticky liquid made contact with her foot and Evelyn dreaded to look down. She choked when the air began to smell of something rotting, like a dead boar that was too far gone to eat. Hesitantly, she looked down and stifled a gasp. 

Whatever was coating her foot was red, dark red. 

She slowly lifted her foot and felt the sensation of some type of thread sticking to it. She turned her foot to see what it was and gagged. Even in such frigid temperatures, she felt her blood run cold. 

She stepped in blood, still warm and probably fresh. In that blood, was hair.

Black hair. 

As sudden as the realization came to her, an ear shattering boom resounded in the room, so loud that Evelyn felt her eardrums rupture and pop. She covered her ears and screamed, wishing the pain would stop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evelyn jolted awake at the sound, screaming hoarsely. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she remembered the sickening contents of her dream. She couldn’t remember having a dream as vicious as this one. A sudden wave of nausea crept up her throat and she whipped her head towards the edge of the bed, the putrid contents of her dinner spilling out of her mouth. She didn’t know if it was the vomiting or the dream, but she let out a wail of distress. Hot tears streaked her face as she sobbed and coughed, her throat burning from the acid. Unbeknownst to her, her chamber door slammed open as Ser Maria and Ser Denny rushed to her aid, fearing the worst. Ser Denny swept the room as Ser Maria tried to console her lady. 

“My lady! Are you alright?” 

Evelyn began to hyperventilate, unable to form words at the moment. The only answer she was able to give her was a shake of her head. Another wave of nausea consumed her as Maria laid a calming hand on her shoulder. She pushed Maria back, rougher than she intended, and vomited again. This time it was bile more than anything else. Maria’s brows furrowed with worry as she rubbed her hand along Evelyn’s back in an attempt to console her. 

“There’s no one here Maria.” Denny said after checking the room for intruders. 

“Good, fetch some water for Evelyn please.” 

Just as Denny was pouring some water into a goblet, the rest of the family filed into the room with Trisha rushing to Evelyn, her motherly instincts taking over. She kneeled in front of Evelyn, not caring about the contents on the floor and cupped her face, wiping her tears away with her thumbs. 

“Shhh, it’s alright, you’re alright sweetling. Breathe with me, in and out...there you go.” She gently consoled her, breathing and bidding Evelyn to do the same with her. After a couple of moments Evelyn stopped hyperventilating, but it didn’t stop her crying. She grasped Trisha’s arms like a lifeline as she sat on the bed with her, cradling her head to her breast whilst rocking her. Trisha looked towards Maria and Denny. 

“Did you find anyone in here?”

“No my lady, I checked every part of the room. There were no signs of a disturbance.” 

“Thank you Denny, Maria. You two may return to your post.” 

The two knights left the room while the rest of the family stood back and watched the tender display, at a loss for what to do. Ed’s brows furrowed with concern as he watched Evelyn cry. He had never seen her in such a state of panic before, not even back at the inn where someone had almost killed her. Ed stepped forward but Hohenheim held his shoulder, bidding him to stay. Evelyn finally calmed down and Trisha spoke to the rest of the family. 

“Boys, go back to bed. We’ll take it from here.” 

“But-“

“To bed Edward.” 

Edward sighed but nodded nonetheless. When the 3 men left the room, Winry and Paninya joined Trisha and Evelyn on the bed, all 3 women holding her quaking figure. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Trisha asked softly, running her fingers through Evelyn’s tussled hair. Evelyn didn’t say a word, she only shook her head. Trisha was silent for a moment before she sniffed. 

“I don’t think you should stay in here, wouldn’t you agree?” 

Evelyn nodded, letting out a meek ‘mmhmm.’ Trisha smiled fondly down at her, she almost sounded like a child. 

“Want to sleep with us Evey? We wouldn’t mind.” Winry said, holding her hand gently and smoothing her thumb over her knuckles. 

“She’s right.” Paninya vouched, laying her head against the crook of Winry’s neck. 

“I don’t know if I can sleep after...that. Could I have essence of nightshade?” Evelyn asked shakily, tiny waves of tremors still wracking her body. 

“I don’t think it’d be wise to have any, especially because of the attack you just had.” Winry informed sympathetically. Evelyn huffed defeatedly and hung her head. She stayed like that, fisting her hands against the sheets as the 3 other women watched her. After a moment she sighed and slowly got up, stumbling a bit when her legs trembled. 

“I can’t sleep, but I don’t want to be alone.” 

“You can still come with us.” 

“...Alright then.” 

Evelyn looked down at her nightgown as the 3 ladies stood up from the bed. ‘At least I didn’t get anything on it.’ She thought in relief. Winry and Paninya were already at the door while Trisha stayed next to her, placing her hands on Evelyn’s arms and kissing her forehead. “Try and get some sleep, we have a guest arriving on the morrow.” 

“A guest?” 

“Nalya Falceen, a girl from one of the vassal houses. She’s to be my apprentice.” Trisha said cheekily, her hazel eyes glittering with excitement. Evelyn’s brows furrowed in confusion when she heard this. 

“An apprentice? For what?” 

Trisha’s brows raised in mild shock as she glanced at Winry and Paninya, both of their faces comically contorted with guilt. She looked exasperated for a moment before breathing out a sigh through her nose. 

“Do you know who made your dresses?” Trisha asked lightly, not wanting the question to come off as rhetorical. Evelyn opened her mouth to reply before her eyes widened in realization. How could she have not known?! 

“I-I...I didn’t know, I’m so sor-“ Evelyn stuttered before Trisha giggled, ruffling her already tussled hair sympathetically. 

“Oh don’t fret about that now, you need to sleep. I’ll tell the handmaidens not to disturb you in the morning.” She said, breathing out a soft laugh at Evelyn’s flushed face. She ceased her suffering by planting a comforting kiss on her forehead, gently pushing her and coaxing her out the door. The 3 ladies bid their farewells to Trisha and promptly led Evelyn to their room. 

After a few moments, Winry and Paninya were nestled within the soft linen sheets of the bed. They slept peacefully on either side of Evelyn while she laid awake, staring at the canopy. She didn’t dare look anywhere else in the room. Every shadow seemed to morph into a human-like figure, watching her every move within the darkest corners. Evelyn let out a soft huff, willing her body to relax before closing her eyes. She hoped her body will allow some semblance of sleep tonight, almost every night she spent in Xerxes was filled with night terrors that made her heart race and body run cold. Each dream more violent than the last. 

She hoped that they didn’t mean anything. 

But she couldn’t deny the fact that every time she woke, she felt a sense of something foreboding coming her way. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evelyn woke up with a start when she heard someone knock on her door. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, fatigue still weighing her down. Fortunately, she was able to gain a few hours of sleep, even if it came with a challenge. She was glad that by some miracle, Winry and Paninya decided against kicking her out of their bed because of her consistent twitching and jerking. She padded her way to the door and opened it, coming face to face with Paninya. Evelyn greeted her with a small smile, taking note of the dress she was wearing. Paninya wasn’t usually one to wear dresses, opting for breeches and a jacket instead. Today she wore something simple, but beautiful. She wore a simple white dress, the style similar to that of her lavender dress with the loose sleeves and bralette. The dress was adorned with a dark brown leather harness, the braided strips of material crisscrossing in the middle of her chest and looping around her neck. An assortment of pear shaped pearls adorned the middle of the harness, giving her the extra lady-like flare. Paninya saw Evelyn’s look of approval and did a little twirl, the soft fabric flowing around her like clouds. 

“It’s the Rockbell house colors” she said, white for healing, brown for smithery. “I thought it’d be best to represent my soon to be wife’s house while our guest is here, as should you.” She said, an air of mischief in her voice. She had been holding her hands behind her back, obstructing something from Evelyn’s view. She pulled her hands from her back and revealed the silky gold dress she had hidden. Evelyn traced the material with her fingertips, blushing slightly. She hadn’t thought of wearing the Elric house colors just yet, it was something too intimate for her to fathom. Paninya cut the interaction short, shoving the dress into Evelyn’s unsuspecting arms and patting her on the head. 

“Be quick about it, supper’s almost ready!” And with that she closed the door, leaving Evelyn with flushed cheeks and gold spilling from her fingers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Paninya waited patiently outside of Evelyn’s chamberdoor as she dressed. Once she emerged, she smiled and took her hand, making their way towards the dining hall. The walk wasn’t too long and it gave Evelyn just enough time to quell the nerves that were prickling in her stomach. Paninya seemed to sense her distress and squeezed her hand, giving her a soft encouraging smile. 

Trisha sat at the head of the table with Hohenheim and Nalya to her right, and her children to the left. Nalya, a young maiden of 17 with rich brown hair and light brown eyes, was happily chatting with the others as they waited for Paninya and Evelyn. From what Trisha knew, the girl was as sweet as honey and charming with the other lords and ladies. Her apprentice seemed to be full of life and curiosity, excited to learn from ‘a seamstress blessed with fingers such as yours’ as she so eloquently put it. Trisha’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the dining hall doors opening. Just as she suspected, she saw Evelyn and Paninya making their way to the dining hall. Without uttering a word she stood up, everyone at the table following suit. Edward’s breath hitched when he laid his eyes on Evelyn and her dress. There were no words to describe how beautiful she looked. Her dress shone like molten gold, the silk fabric draping around her legs delicately. Her shoulders and upper back were left bare along with the middle of her chest, the exposed sliver of skin making Ed blush. Looping around her neck was a jeweled collar which slightly resembled pyrite, a perfect mix of the Elric gold as Blackmyre grey. Her hair was left down, brushed neatly and shining against the afternoon sunlight. Evelyn caught Edward’s gaze and smiled, her cheeks flushing to a light shade of pink. 

She smiled pleasantly and introduced the two ladies to Nalya. “Lady Nalya, I have the honor of presenting to you Lady Paninya, soon to be wife of Lady Winry Rockbell and Lady Evelyn Blackmyre, soon to be wife of my son Lord Edward.” 

The two ladies curtsied and Nalya curtsied back, wearing a customary smile. She never forgot her courtesies. She began to speak as Evelyn and Paninya made their way towards the table. “Lady Evelyn, it’s so good to finally meet you! Lady Elric has spoken very highly of you. I hope the trip down south wasn’t too rough for you? I know the weather can be quite...jarring for a northerner.” She ended with a smile, her pleasant tone not hiding the slight insult hurled at her. The others hadn’t seemed to notice, save for Edward whose brows furrowed, so Evelyn decided against commenting. 

“It was strange at first, but I was able to get used to it quickly enough. I heard you were going to be staying with us for some time?” She replied politely. For next few moments, the table was filled with light chatter which was mostly between Evelyn and Nalya. Although the rest of the conversation was relatively tame, Evelyn noticed something peculiar. 

Nalya kept glancing at Ed.

Evelyn didn’t find this strange at first, she understood completely. Whatever gods created Edward surly took their time on him, with his long golden hair and gold eyes to match. He kept his hair loose today, and wore a simple pair of light brown breeches and boots with a cream tunic. She also noticed he was wearing earrings, the jewels a dark blood red with a golden band and accents. Evelyn couldn’t necessarily think of Ed as being ‘handsome’, that word didn’t even scratch the surface of Ed’s beauty. 

Edward was beautiful, she knew that very well. So it was understandable that someone would look at him. The problem was, she was doing it more than once. Evelyn was no fool and she could read people like books, she could tell by the way she was fluttering her eyelashes at him that she was attracted to him.

Dare she say, she was trying to attract him.

The more Nalya stole a gaze at him, the tighter she gripped her knife and fork, trying hard not to slam her utensils into the chicken she was eating. She knew Edward was hers, not just by oath but by heart and soul. They had known each other since they were babes and had been close ever since then. But alas, it was quite easy for her to get jealous of Nalya. She had rich dark brown hair that curled in waves while Evelyn’s hair was straight and black. Evelyn pride her self in the fact that she won in the eye color category, but she was so quick to find flaws in her body. Malta’s almost reminded her of Lorah’s, and she has always been slightly envious of her more shapely form. Evelyn never really grew out of her slightly boyish figure. Her shoulders and arms were slender and soft whilst hers was built with muscle. 

She knew Edward wouldn’t ever leave her, but those negative thoughts that have always plagued her mind decided to nag her at this moment. 

Her thoughts were interrupted when one of the servants walked up to Ed, catching his attention with a pat on the shoulder and whispering something in his ear in Xerxian. She couldn’t quite catch what he was saying but with the way the edges of his lips curled up in a smile, she guessed it was a good thing. He dismissed the servant with a nod of his head and he walked up, shouting orders to the others. She saw the way Trisha’s eyes glittered with excitement and mischief and decided to ask.

“What’s happened?”

Trisha glanced at Ed, her gaze questioning. Edward hesitantly looked at her, blushing as he nodded. She then spoke. 

“Edward has a gift for you, from Stonevale.”

“Well i-it’s not really a gift, it’s just something-“ 

Evelyn was speechless when she heard this. He was communicating with her family this entire time? What did he bring her? Did he have a letter from her family? So many questions whirled in her mind as she stared between the mother and son. She finally mustered enough courage to utter some semblance of words. 

“Ed...I don’t-“ 

But was promptly interrupted by Nalya

“Oh, how sweet of you my lord! May we see it?” She asked excitedly, her eyes twinkling with mischief and...something else that didn’t sit right with Evelyn.

“I’m afraid the gift is private Lady Nalya, my apologies.” He replied quickly, not wanting to be rude. It took everything in Evelyn not to smirk pointedly at her, who knew one girl could get on her nerves during a single meal? While she reveled in her slight victory, the servant came back to whisper again in Ed’s ear, handing him a letter. Ed nodded and turned towards Evelyn, a blush tinting his cheeks. 

“Have you eaten your fill? I was hoping to show you as soon as it arrived.” 

“I have, may I be excused my la- Trisha?” 

Trisha smiled warmly at her correction and nodded. The two stood up and bowed, leaving the dining hall towards the family rooms. When they were far away enough, he handed Evelyn the letter containing the wax seal of her family. They stopped outside one of the rooms that had been under construction for a few weeks. 

“Stay outside and read the letter, I’ll see if everything is ready in here.” He said, clenching his fists nervously. Evelyn nodded and opened the letter as he stepped inside. She let out a breathy laugh at reading just who the letter came from. 

‘Dear Evelyn,

I hope this letter finds you in good fortune, sweet sister. With this letter, you should be receiving a very special gift from us. Edward and our family have been communicating for a month to make sure the preparations were just right. Edward has always been the worried sort, but I know you’ll love your gift. He thinks so much of you, you know. I understand you’re probably still trying to sort out your feelings, but I am fully confident that in due time, you’ll fall for him. In fact, I believe that by the time you get this, you had already been thinking of getting married earlier.

Things have changed here, somewhat. We were recently informed that Lord Brandr passed in his sleep. His death was quite sudden, and no one seems to know if he had fallen ill. May the gods see his soul to rest. We will have a new Lady of Stonevale soon, thanks to Father and Petyr. He’s going to be marrying the late Lord Brandr’s daughter, the Lady Lyla. By the time you get this, the wedding will be in a sennight. The match was made rather last minute so unfortunately, you won’t be able to go. But don’t fret, you have a duty in Xerxes. 

I am running out of parchment space so I must give you my farewells. I love you so very much, we all miss you dearly. 

Love, 

Lorah Blackmyre.’ 

Evelyn smiled sadly and pressed the letter to her chest as if she was trying to leave an imprint of Lorah’s writing in her heart. It was a shame that Lord Brandr died, she never knew him quite well, but death was death, ever solemn. At least he died peacefully. Her big brother was finally getting married, all to secure the north in light of what happened to her. She knew her father wouldn’t have done such a thing unless it wasn’t important. She almost felt guilty, but she somewhat knew Lady Lyla. She was a very sweet girl and will probably fall head over heels with Petyr. ‘He does have a certain charm to him.’ She thought amusedly. She was brought out of her stupor when Ed opened the door. 

“Ready?” 

“Mmhmm.” 

He shimmied behind her and covered her eyes, making Evelyn giggle. He led her inside the room and moved her around, making sure she was facing right where he wanted her. Once he felt she was settled, he gulped nervously. 

“Keep your eyes closed, I’m going to remove my hands. No peeking!” 

“I won’t peek I promise!” 

He slowly removed his hands from her face and stepped back. Finally, after a few moments, he spoke. 

“Open.” 

Evelyn opened her eyes and took in the sight in front of her, her excited grin faltering. Her eyes quickly began to get misty and she dared not breathe. Nothing could have prepared her for what she was witnessing. 

Hung on a dark blue wall, was a white branch from a weirwood tree. From the godswood at Stonevale.

Surrounding the branch was a few thin rods of gold, circling it as if it were shining like the sun. Unlike the trees in the godswood, this branch had yet to be carved. If the branch were to bleed through the cuts, then the gods were truly present in the room. Would they be? In such a foreign place? She hoped so. She turned her head to examine the room a bit, noticing a small table with a plate of fruits and two chairs, and a small library. Light cream drapes danced in the air where they hung above an open window, the soft sounds of the outside filtering in the room, giving it a sense of serenity and peace. Everything became clear to her in that moment, despite her vision being cloudy because of un-shed tears. How could she have been so blind? Had she been denying her feelings this whole time, because of fear? Every moment she spent with him caused her heart to flutter in her chest and her stomach to constrict, making her push those feelings deep within herself. 

She was brought out of her flurry of thoughts when she heard Edward stuttering behind her. 

“I-I know you’ve been having a rough couple of weeks, and I know you miss home. It’s not a godswood by any means but I hope it’s-“ 

Edward stopped speaking when Evelyn turned to him, his brows furrowing with concern at seeing tears in her eyes. He damned himself for a moment, not knowing if he should be concerned because of her crying, or if he should be mesmerized at how her tears only seemed to make her eyes all the more vibrant. Evelyn walked towards him, mustering up all her courage for what she was about to do. She gazed into his golden eyes, letting the tears fall. Her voiced seemed to betray her for a moment, her mouth opened and closed but no words spilled from her lips. Ed suddenly began to panic, he didn’t want to make her cry! He hated seeing her shed tears over something he did, the last time it almost occurred was at the inn and he had hoped it would never happen again. 

Finally, she spoke. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Ed looked at her, his panic fading away and being replaced with confusion. 

“What? I don’t- I don’t understa-“ 

Evelyn, not knowing what else to do, cupped his cheeks and gently pulled him down, pressing her lips against his. Ed’s breath hitched when he felt her warm hands cup his face, her lavender scent washing over him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him whilst breathing a sigh. He remembered the last time they had kissed, something filled with fear and desperation. He remembered tasting the metallic tang of blood on her lips, feeling the light tremors of shock that coursed through her body and of course, feeling his own. Now here they stood, alive and unafraid in this place of sanctuary. 

At peace. 

She pulled back slowly, wanting the feeling of his lips on hers to linger for a bit, and smiled softly at him. Ed recognized the soft look in her eyes, his heart hammering in his chest. He had seen his mother look at his father that way whenever he’d say something adoringly idiotic. Or Winry, when he’d catch her looking at Paninya as if she were the sun and the moon all together. He hoped that someday, she would look at him the same way, but he dared not pressure her. The last thing he wanted was to force her to feel something for him that he could never hope for. But here she is, right now, gazing at him with her glittering eyes, showing him all the love he could ever want. 

“I’m sorry, I’ve been so blind. I’m not sure if it was fear or something else entirely. But I see it now.” 

He didn’t say anything, he dared not breathe. 

“I love you, I think I have for a long time but...I don’t seem to remember falling for you.” She ended with a breathy laugh and Ed smiled, the sound of her like music to his ears. 

“I don’t remember either, I guess it wasn’t that important.” 

“No, I guess it wasn’t,” she replied. She then remembered the little detail in Lorah’s letter. “Ed, would you...would you like to get married earlier?” She suggested hesitantly but excitedly, the prospect delighting her. Ed’s grin widened, his eyes shining with light as he nodded enthusiastically. “Yes,” he replied, “yes, yes!” Evelyn giggled when he picked her up and spun her around, his laugh filling her ears. Once he sat her down she wasted no time and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and tilting her head to deepen it. They kissed for some time until he pulled away, his face flustered and speech breathless. 

“Sh-Shouldn’t we tell them? We have to send ravens to your family and-“ 

“Ed, they can wait a little longer. I just want to be with you for now.” 

He didn’t need any more convincing and promptly leaned in to capture her lips again. She giggled against his mouth in amusement at his enthusiasm, but she figured she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

For the first time in a month, she was perfectly and incandescently happy. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Some time ago...  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lord Kimblee walked beside his father through the cold hallways of the keep, half listening to his lecture about the marriage. The match had proven to be both a nuisance and beneficial to him. A nuisance because the damned Blackmyre bastard was a step closer to becoming the lord of Stonevale and Brandr keep, a step closer than he could ever hope to be, and beneficial because it meant that he was a step closer to his ultimate goal. It was a shame though, as dark and bitter as his heart was, he loved his father dearly. Despite the fact that he was bastard born, his father had always been his number one advocate. In Lord Brandr’s eyes, he was his first trueborn son, and the heir to the Brandr seat. No matter what anyone said about Kimblee’s history, his father defended him. Kimblee would always be grateful for him, despite of what he had to do. 

He had something planned for the Blackmyre family, but by no means necessary must his father be any part of them. He’d never wish such a gruesome death on him. 

“My son.” 

He turned towards his father, breaking from his thoughts and noticing that they were at the door to his father’s chambers. Lord Brandr took out the keys from his pocket, unlocking the door and not meeting his son’s eyes as he spoke. 

“I know you were only half listening to what I was saying. I understand that this is difficult for you, what this might mean for your future.” He said this as he discarded his cloak and boots, preparing for bed. “Fetch me a cup of water, will you?” He asked politely and Kimblee nodded, grimacing when he turned towards the table. As stealthily as he could, he fished out the vial of essence of nightshade, a vial containing more than 10 drops. The liquid was interesting, it was both heaven and hell, medicinal and poisonous, depending on the number of drops. One drop helped to calm nerves and anxiety and three drops provided its person a deep and dreamless sleep. Ten drops however, would provide its person with a slumber that they could never waken from. Even diluted in a cup of water or wine, it could kill a person within minutes. It was one of the more peaceful ways to fade from this world, this much he could grant his father. He quietly poured the poison into one of the cups, then filled it up with the water he requested. He made sure to swish the contents to mix them before turning and walking towards his father, holding two cups of water. 

He sat down on the bed next to him and went to give him the cup, but stopped when his father spoke, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“My son, I know this is hard for you, but sometimes during unprecedented times, one must make sacrifices to ensure our strength. Sometimes doing the things we dread the most are what keeps us in power.” 

Gods, if he wasn’t right. All he wanted to do was chuck the cup of water out the window. 

“But no matter what, you will always be my first born, and the heir to my seat. I won’t let the Blackmyre boy take it. You’re the only thing that matters most to me in the world, you and your sister.” 

‘Gods, shut up!’ He screamed inwardly in despair, but smiled nonetheless, even if it didn’t meet his eyes. “I know, father.” He said, handing his father the cursed cup of water. His father smiled back, taking a hearty sip before handing it back to him empty. It was unintentional, but Kimblee watched his father’s adam’s apple bob as the liquid went down his throat. It was almost as if he could feel the motion too, the poison coating and burning the walls of his throat. Or was that guilt? Most likely. Kimblee drank his fill, already feeling nauseous, and walked back to the table with the empty cups. From behind his back, he heard the sheets rustle and his father speak, his speech already slurring. 

“M’going to sleep. Goodnight my son, sleep well.” 

Kimblee let out an airy chuckle as he walked towards the door, the laugh sounding more strained than anything. Before he closed it, he looked back at his father who was already snuggled in the sheets, his breath coming out shallow and raggedy. The poison seemed to be working quicker than he thought it would, a blessing and a curse. 

He felt his eyes get misty as he looked at his father’s sleeping form. He could see the rise and fall of his chest becoming less and less frequent. 

“Goodnight father, may the gods watch over you.” 

Finally, after what seemed like hours of torture, he turned and closed the door softly. His face was set in a tight grimace as he walked to his chambers, silently letting the tears fall.

For the first time in his life, his sleep was restless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update 🥺. Uni started so updates will be even slower, but I haven’t forgotten about this I swear!!!


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